


Mingling in the Crowd

by cheyla



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Civilian Harry, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-09 09:52:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 29
Words: 35,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4343921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheyla/pseuds/cheyla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry wanted to be normal. He couldn't be normal in the wizarding world, his relatives made it clear that he wouldn't fit in the muggle world. Can he fit in the shinobi world with the help of his guardian? Or will he always stand out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was an entirely different place than he'd expected to land, that much was certain. Then again, Harry James Potter was used to different. He had been different his whole life, never really fitting in. Famous before he could walk and talk. Most people would have loved that but Harry hated it. He just wanted to be normal. A grimace appeared on the teenager's face. That was why he had left really. He wanted to get away from everything and he certainly didn't want to be the "Chosen One".

Still…

Harry was just glad that he had been able to escape. It had been a stroke of genius on his part. No one would ever think of looking in another world for him. At least not for a long while.

A small puff of smoke made Harry turn his head slightly. He sighed softly but said nothing. Maybe one person would, but this was the person who had given Harry his idea in the first place.

The fifteen-year-old regarded the person who had just appeared carefully.

"You can't convince me to change my mind." He said dully to the hooded figure. A masked face turned towards him and Harry read from her posture that she was glaring at him.

"That's it then?" She asked in a tense tone. "You're just going to abandon them to the hands of a madman?"

Green eyes flashed.

"I'm not abandoning them. I just need a break from everything. It's not exactly a cake-walk you know, being attacked all the time and having people gawp at you. I'll go back eventually. If it's truly my destiny, I'll do my part. Just not now. I'm only fifteen." He replied.

The two walked in silence before the covered woman spoke again.

"You do realize here most shinobi make their first kills well before the age of fifteen." Harry glared at her.

"I'm not a warrior. I don't want to be." He stated. "In any other case, I would have been considered a citizen. I would never have to deal with something like this."

The silence resumed.

"Promise me something?" Harry tilted his head to the side, indicating that he was listening.

"Don't get yourself killed. I'll walk you until Konohagakure but then stay within the gates. Outside of them, things get…deadly." Harry quirked an eyebrow but nodded. "Don't forget what I've told you."

"My name is Hiru Akago and I'm a civilian from the Land of Tea, wanting a new start in Konoha because my family was slaughtered by rogue nin." He replied automatically. "The less details the better and don't tick anyone off."

He was given a tiny nod in response and the two continued to walk. After a couple of hours, large walls loomed into sight. A ball of nerves immediately began to form in Harry's stomach.

"I'll check in regularly." Harry's guardian said. "If you see me around, don't act like you know me."

"Will you be returning to your duties?" The boy questioned. He was given a small nod. Harry allowed a small smile to show on his face as he was handed a key.

"Apartment next to the Akimichi barbecue, third floor, room 6. Don't let the guards scare you." Harry's smile widened as his green eyes met chocolate brown eyes.

"See you around then." He said quietly as his companion disappeared in a cloud of smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry leaned against the wall, looking down the street. He was faintly reminded of Diagon Alley right before the school year started. However, Harry was one hundred percent positive that any ninja-correction, shinobi walking down the street of Diagon Alley would draw a lot of attention. Here however it seemed to be perfectly normal. It was a fact that comforted Harry in a strange way. He was getting the feeling that it would take a lot to unnerve the inhabitants of this village.

"Yo kid, you new to Konoha?" Harry turned, startled. He nodded shakily and cautiously looked over the man who was suddenly behind him, leaning against the nearest wall. A book was open in his hands and the man, for all appearances, looked to be deeply involved in it. The man had greyish-white hair that stuck up and out to one side. One thing that Harry had been constantly amused by was the different hairstyles. It made him interested in trying something different for his hair. Maybe he could find something that could actually tame his hair.

The man was sporting a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and matching capris. There was a curious red symbol on the sleeve on the man's right side. A green vest covered most of the man's torso. There were a few pockets that bulged out but otherwise the vest lay flat. The gloves and sandals matched. Harry bit his lip to comment about the matchy matchy appearance. He figured it would be wise to say nothing that would potentially offend the man.

It was the man's face that drew attention though. Harry recognized the headband that he had seen all the other shinobi wearing on the man's forehead except that it was tilted down to cover one eye. A blue mask that matched the man's outfit covered the lower half of the face. Curious.

"Yes I am." Harry replied calmly, trying not to let his nerves show. He didn't want to be noticed, especially by a shinobi. The man regarded Harry with an odd expression.

"Where are you from?" He asked in a bored tone. Harry was having a hard time to get a feel for the man's intentions. He was having a hard time deciding whether the man was just curious or if he had taken a particular interest in Harry for some unknown reason.

"The Land of Tea." Harry replied in a curt tone. "My family was slaughtered by rogue nin and I needed a new start, away from all the memories."

He was given a tiny nod from the grey-haired man, who flipped a page at the same time.

"The name's Hatake Kakashi." The man said in a quiet, firm tone. Harry nodded.

"Hiru Akago." He replied.

"Any ideas of what you'll do here?"

That made Harry pause and think. Truthfully, he hadn't really decided what he was going to do to make a living after he left the Dursley's. His nose twitched as a warm aroma reached where the two were standing. The scent was intriguing and pleasing, and Harry was struck with an idea.

"I can make perfumes." He announced. Kakashi gave him an odd look, allowing Harry to realize just how strange that probably sounded. It wasn't something most men would attempt to do. A small blush crossed Harry's face.

"Well that is certainly..."Kakashi searched for the right word. "Unique." He settled for. Harry gave a sheepish shrug and smile.

"Any ideas where I might find a sponsor?" He asked. "I don't have enough money to start up a shop all by myself."

Kakashi shrugged.

"The Yamanaka flower shop?" He offered lazily, stifling a yawn. "At the very least, they can give you supplies."

Harry nodded, grateful. He stepped away from the wall and out into the sun.

"Thanks for your help Hatake-san." He murmured politely. Kakashi waved.

"See you around Hiru-san." He responded. In a flash of leaves he was gone. The sun was setting as Harry turned home. He grabbed a quick meal at the barbecue next to his apartment, delaying his trip home. It was sort of lonely coming home to an empty apartment, Harry was discovering. He had no friends yet and was reluctant to make any. The truth was, Harry would always be an outsider in this world, just as he would always be an outsider in the wizarding world.

Harry's hand slowly turned the door knob. He emitted a small yelp as he was suddenly pulled into the room.

"Seriously? A perfume-maker?" Harry blushed and darted into the bathroom, trying to ignore his guardian's laughs. At least there would always be one person around for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry sighed and rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead, frustrated and irritated. It was impossible to find two scents that went remotely well together and that was somewhat unique. He didn't recognize half the ingredients that were in the market when he went shopping. Why on earth had he told Hatake-san he made perfumes when he just barely passed potions? Why? If anyone back home found out about this, they would never let it go. Especially Snape and Malfoy. Harry shuddered at the thought.

"Let's try this again." He mumbled to himself and reset all of his materials. The oils went on his left, the water on his right, and the cooking alcohol and some bowls in the middle. Harry already had some fruits and herbs soaking in cooking alcohol in the kitchen cupboards but he couldn't use them right away. They had to soak for at least a minimum of seven days, if not longer.

Harry glanced at the book on his lap once again, thankful that there was even a book about perfume making. Otherwise he would have been totally lost.

Harry blindly reached for two bottles of oil and examined them. Lemon and jasmine. It sounded safe enough. Hopefully these would be the two that would work well together.

Cautiously Harry tipped the water into a bowl of cooking alcohol. Once the small glass of water was halfway gone, he put it to the side. He sniffed the jasmine once before shaking out five or six drops. He did the same with the lemon but blinked as his nose was overwhelmed. That would clear the sinuses.

The oils and water was mixed with the alcohol and Harry took a cautious sniff. The smell was pleasant but not strong. Harry assumed that it would be stronger when he was using the actual raw materials and not just the oils. The perfume would also be stronger if the perfume had more time to mature and sit.

"I can do this." Harry muttered to himself, happy that he was finally getting something accomplished after hours of pure nothingness. As Harry sat back to examine the vials of oil one more time, a distinct scent drifted in through the window.

Harry's stomach grumbled at the pleasant smell and that's when the light bulb went on in his head. It would work if he would be able to make it. It would take a lot more skill than the regular old herb and fruit based perfumes.

Rising to his feet, Harry stepped carefully over his materials, careful not to break anything and made his way to the kitchen. Once there, he pulled out what he believed he would need—coffee and tea.

The green tea was first. Harry quickly made some tea but used a couple more bags than what he normally would use if he was drinking it. Once it was made and cooling, Harry added the alcohol. Once he determined they were stirred together enough, the tea was put in a bowl, covered, and put with all the other maturing fruit peels and herbs.

Harry repeated the same with the coffee. He hummed to himself and couldn't resist making some extra. As Harry sipped his cup of coffee, he closed his eyes and leaned back, relaxing for the first time in a few days. If everything worked out the way he wanted it to, he would take his creations to the Yamanaka flower shop and see if they would be willing to sponsor him and advertise his perfumes.

Life in Konoha was finally looking up. He had a place to stay, a potential job, no one was out to kill him, and there was no reminders of the wizarding world. Harry was finally getting the chance to see what life might have been like had he not been Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. Here he was just Akago, the perfume maker.

Harry grimaced and changed his mind. His life was still odd but he had a feeling that here in Konoha, an odd life was something that was actually considered...normal. So in a way he was normal. Finally.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry laughed quietly to himself into his bowl of ramen. It was very strange to hear people come into the shop, chattering about the new perfume line the Yamanaka's had agreed to sponsor. It was also very flattering. Harry still couldn't believe that Yamanaka Inoichi had agreed to sponsor him.

The encounter with the man had been very unnerving. It was almost like he was reading Harry's mind. What was even more unnerving was that it seemed like Yamanaka-san had gotten some kind of joy out of answering Harry's questions before Harry had actually answered them.

Harry shivered at the memory.

"It's such an enticing smell but I would have never have thought." Harry overheard. "I certainly wouldn't have expected it."

Harry smirked to himself. Good. He liked to surprise people every once in a while.

"Don't get a big ego." A familiar voice warned. Harry jumped at how close it was. He glared at the masked figure, who remained standing despite the fact that there was an empty seat right next to Harry.

"I wasn't." He retorted. "I was just relishing the compliments. People are allowed to do that every once in a while."

The 22-year-old shinobi made a noncommittal sound.

"You're on your own for a few days." She stated suddenly after a brief silence. "I've got a mission."

Harry nodded and gave a small smile.

"Don't get too curious." He replied and turned back to his ramen.

"But that's what I do best." Harry could hear the smirk that was surely placed upon red-purple lips even though he couldn't see them behind the mask. When he looked back, his guardian was gone and no one seemed to notice his brief encounter.

"Hiru-san, you have interesting acquaintances." Okay so maybe someone did. Harry glanced to the side and found Hatake Kakashi taking a seat beside him.

"Everyone should know someone interesting, I believe." Harry stated calmly. "Otherwise I would assume they would have a very boring life."

"That they would." Kakashi agreed. "So how did you come to know ANBU-san?"

Harry shrugged.

"She helped me out in a few rough spots over the years. When I was a child, she vowed to protect me." He responded vaguely. Not even Ron and Hermione knew about his guardian. He didn't even think Dumbledore knew about her. "How do you know ANBU-san?"

"We were ANBU together for awhile." Kakashi replied slowly. Harry tensed slightly. He wasn't exactly sure what ANBU did but he knew that they were more dangerous than the average shinobi. ANBU was what he had to worry about, along with the jonin shinobi. They could pick up on lies and half-truths much more easier than chunin and genin.

Civilian and shinobi sat side by side in silence for a few long moments before Harry abruptly stood up. The silence was making him nervous.

"It was nice seeing you again Hatake-san." He murmured quietly while leaving money on the counter to pay for his ramen. Kakashi nodded in his direction and watched the boy leave, staring long after he was out of sight.

"A curious boy." He muttered under his breath before accepting the bowl of ramen handed to him.

"Hello Akago-kun!" Ino chirped as Harry entered the Yamanaka flower shop, carrying a basket of perfumes he had completed the other day. While Harry's products weren't exactly well known, they were still quite popular and kept him busy.

"Hello Ino." He replied, setting the basket down on the counter. "What's new?"

Ino rolled her eyes slightly.

"Chouji and Shikamaru are being their usual selves. They never take anything seriously!" She huffed.

Harry gave her a dull look.

"I asked what's new. That's not new." He replied. Harry hadn't met Ino's teammates yet but he had heard many complaints from the young kuniochi. Ino snickered at Harry's comment.

"So do you have any plans?" She asked, leaning over the counter slightly to take the basket Harry had brought in.

Harry shook his head.

"Go make some more samples." He decided, not really caring. He hadn't made any civilian friends his age and he was wary about the shinobi his age. Harry wasn't exactly comfortable with being friends with someone who could easily kill him.

Ino stared Harry down, who gave her the most innocent look he could manage.

"Don't you ever go out on dates, Akago-kun?" The blonde demanded, crossing her arms. "I would think you would be a big hit with the ladies and with some of the men."

Harry sputtered.

"Ino-chan!" He protested in a strangled voice. The girl gave him an innocent look, pulling it off much better than Harry did seconds before.

"I never really had time to go on dates." Harry admitted, shrugging slightly. Upon hearing this, Ino gave Harry a contemplative look, which scared Harry.

"No setting me up." He cautioned and Ino pouted.

"But Akago-kun!" She whined and Harry gave her a flat look.

"No." He clarified. Ino propped her hand on the counter.

"Who are you into?" She asked in an overly sweet voice. "Girls or guys?"

Harry sputtered and turned on his heel.

"Goodbye Ino-chan!" He called over his shoulder, ignoring the girl's calls. The door swung open as Harry reached for it. Harry felt himself falling, with no time to stop himself or catch himself on anything.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry hit the ground and let out a loud groan. He was going to have some bruises in the morning. Not letting the fall get the best of him, Harry rolled to his feet and stood, not seeing the hand that had been offered to help him up.

"I apologize. I didn't see you." The apology was stiff and not very sincere but Harry let it go. He didn't want an argument.

Ino, however, whacked the boy standing in front of Harry on the arm. He had long hair that was pulled back and light violet eyes that had no pupil. It was slightly unnerving but Harry had seen worse. At least the boy had an actual nose…

"Neji-san, be polite!" Ino scolded lightly. The boy, Neji, turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"He ran in to me." He stated simply, as if that solved everything. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Some people.

"I apologize as well." Harry bowed slightly, his voice stiff as well, and took note of the leaf headband that Neji had placed upon his forehead. Ino huffed and crossed her arms, muttering something about boys and apologies. Harry ignored her easily. Hermione often muttered the same things when he and Ron fought. Girls just didn't get guys. End of story.

"Akago-kun, meet Hyuuga Neji. Neji-sempai, meet Hiru Akago." Ino introduced the boys after an awkward minute of silence. Harry found himself in a weird sort of stare down with Neji, to see who would look away first. Surprisingly, Harry won.

Neji's eyes flicked to the side, breaking the stare down. He had never seen such intense green eyes before. Sakura's were green but they were more watered down.

"It's nice to meet you, Hiru-san." He murmured.

"Nice to meet you too, Hyuuga-san." Harry replied. Neji nodded stiffly and turned to Ino.

"I'm here to pick up that delivery." He stated. Ino gave him a blank look then snapped to.

"Oh! Yes, it's right here!" She picked up a package laying under the counter and thrust it in to Neji's arms. "Be careful not to damage any of the flowers." She warned as Neji shifted the wrapped bundle around. "Make sure to water them every day." She added as an afterthought. "And keep them in the sun. Those aren't shade dwelling plants."

Neji nodded but Harry had the suspicion the elder boy wanted to roll his eyes. Ino turned to Harry as if she had just remembered something.

"You never answered my question, Akago-kun!" She shrilled. Harry blinked.

"Question?" He asked blankly. He had no idea what Ino was talking about which wasn't really anything new. He rarely knew what Ino was talking about.

Ino grinned and Harry suddenly had the feeling that his asking that was a bad idea.

"I asked if you were interested in girls or guys." She reminded him in a cheerfully evil way. Harry paled as he remembered why he was originally going to leave the flower shop.

"So which is it?" Ino prodded. Harry flushed and pushed past Neji.

"Goodbye Ino!" He called over his shoulder. "Goodbye, Hyuuga-san."

Harry didn't bother to look back as he hurried down the street. Why did girls have to be so meddlesome? It was frustrating, especially when they began to meddle in his love life. He was so glad that Hermione had never attempted to set him up. That would have just been awkward. More than awkward really. At least Hermione had always assumed he was straight. Actually, Harry had never even thought about if he liked guys or not. They were okay as mates but as romances? Never even considered it.

However, it wasn't like he was having a lot of luck with the ladies.

Harry groaned, starting to get a headache. Why did Ino have to make him think so much? He swore that she liked to play mind games.

Bloody girls…


	6. Chapter 6

" _ **The Boy Who Lives: Now The Boy Who's Missing"**_

_As another school year at Hogwarts rolls around, there's one student that is peculiarly missing._

_Harry James Potter, who was supposed to start his sixth year at Hogwarts, was not seen boarding the train on September 1_ _st_ _and after further research, it was revealed that he has not been seen since he returned to his relatives for the summer vacation._

_Has He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, who returned this past spring, gotten his hands on Potter? Or has Potter, in face of the new threat, fled out of cowardice? Does the Wizarding World really want such a coward as The Chosen One? Does Potter even deserve the title?_

Hermione let out a frustrated scream and chucked her copy of  _The Daily Prophet_ into the fire. Her sudden scream caused the people around her to jump. The brunette turned to Ron, scowling fiercely.

"Can you believe that they're still printing rubbish about Harry?" She demanded. Ron gave her a nervous look that prompted Hermione to continue. "You know Harry, Ron. He wouldn't just leave without having a good reason."

Ron nodded silently and scowled at those that were attempting to eavesdrop.

"Where do you think he's gone then?" He asked Hermione. The girl sighed and rubbed her temples.

"I don't know." She admitted after a minute. "You-Know-Who can't have gotten him though, otherwise we would have known. That isn't something he would keep quiet. Still, if Harry left of his own free will, it doesn't make since why he would leave his cloak and Hedwig behind, let alone his wand. There was no sign of a struggle though…" Hermione trailed off, perplexed. Nothing about Harry's disappearance made sense. Ron frowned slightly and gazed darkly into the fire. For a long while, neither of them said anything but both were praying that their friend was safe, wherever he was.

Thinking of something, Ron turned to Hermione, a stricken expression on his face.

"Hermione, what if Harry did leave? What if he didn't want all of this and finally had enough?" He asked grimly. Hermione's eyes widened at what Ron was hinting at. She shook her head furiously, not wanting to even consider that.

"He can't have abandoned us Ron. He can't." She said, trying more to convince herself as well as Ron. To distract herself from those types of thoughts, Hermione bent over and started to work on a Potions essay. She soon gave up as she deemed her writing less than satisfactory. Her hands shook too much.

* * *

The scent of raw meat made Luna gag at times but it was something she was willing to put up with to get the thestrals to trust her. They were really nice creatures and were always friendly but sometimes she needed them to trust her. How else would she have gotten them to take them to the Ministry of Magic last spring? They wouldn't have done that for just anyone.

Luna ignored the sound of footsteps approaching. Only a few people knew about this place and those few that did were good acquaintances of hers. Luna wasn't quite sure if she was allowed to call them friends but they were certainly friendly to her when others were not.

"Isn't it weird, knowing that you can see them only because you've seen someone die?" A voice asked. Luna turned slightly to stare at Neville and Ginny but she didn't draw her hand back, even when it was nipped slightly by a baby eager to get the raw meat.

"Not really." She replied. "It helped the healing process for me. I sort of think of thestrals as the guardians of those who have gone before us. They are sort of a reassurance for those who remain behind. If you can see a thestral, then you know that anyone who has passed on is safe and in a good place. It's the ones that can't see the thestrals that should be pitied because they are always left to wonder what will happen when it's time for them to go. They wonder if they will be remembered." Luna finished her thoughts and there was only the sound of crowing thestrals. Ginny and Neville looked thoughtful. Cautiously Ginny held out a hand and an adult thestral approached, nuzzling it gently. She jumped slightly but didn't pull away. Instead she patted its nose and gave a soft smile.

"I guess it's sort of the same situation when you have a friend that's missing." She stated after a minute.

"I just wish we had some idea where Harry was." Neville broke in, running a hand through his hair. It was shaggy, not having been cut in a while, and even though he pushed it back, it still fell into his eyes.

Ginny gave a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know how the Ministry or the Order can't find him." She murmured. "Not even tracing spells are working. Harry still has the trace on him but he hasn't used any magic, even accidental, so they can't find him that way. I just don't understand how no one can find him."

"Maybe it's a good thing that he can't be found." Neville ventured. "I mean, if the Order can't find him, doesn't that mean that he can't be found by You-Know-Who?"

Ginny pursed her lips. Neville had a point but Ginny knew that Voldemort was capable of doing things that everyone else found impossible. So there was no way to be sure that he would NOT find Harry.

Luna crooned softly to a thestral, running her hands along its neck. She was thinking. It may not work but it could. She beckoned another thestral over, the one that Harry had flown as they had rushed to the Ministry of Magic. She willingly came; intrigued by the smell of the raw meat that Luna had hidden in her bag.

Luna turned to Ginny and Neville, a slight twinkle in her eyes.

"I think I have a way we can find Harry." She said calmly and turned to the thestral. She slipped a piece of raw meat from her bag.

"Find Harry Potter please." She informed it and gave it her bribe. The thestral let out a small shrill, snapped up the meat, and, in a dramatic show of talent, took to the air.

Ginny, Neville, and Luna closed their eyes as the wind cut across them sharply. When they opened their eyes, the thestral was gone.

"Now let's just hope it works." Luna murmured softly.

* * *

The area around Number 4 Privet Drive was full of magical aura. To those who walked past Number 4, they got the feeling that things weren't quite right. That something was missing. Strange people lingered around Little Whinging, especially at night when most normal people were asleep.

The Dursleys jumped at every small sound that was made at night. They hadn't gotten a full night's sleep since the beginning of the summer. They knew that someone would come looking for Harry eventually. They just didn't know if it would be someone that was friendly or someone that would just do away with them after they had gotten the answers to their questions.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." A hooded man snarled as he stood up. He had been crouching on the ground, scouring it for any signs of the boy leaving on foot. "He's long gone and there's no trail to follow."

His companions stared at the small house disdainfully. They were sure that the muggles knew something but no opportunity had presented itself for them to extract that information.

"It's a pity when not even the best tracker can find someone as so notable as Potter." Lucius Malfoy drawled behind his mask. "What is the world coming to?"

His comments drew snickers and the man who had originally spoken felt the heat rising to his cheeks.

"He didn't leave by muggle means and he didn't leave by muggle means." He snapped. "I don't know what other methods there are."

The silence resumed and the Death Eaters pondered this new information.

"Let's go." Lucius decided. "The aurors will be returning soon though I highly doubt they'll find anything new."

There was a small snicker that was barely heard above them.

"Magic can't solve everything." The female whispered, barely audible over the wind blowing through the leaves. She took advantage in the upturn of winds. A sequence of hand seals and the leaves swirled around the branch she sat on. Once they settled, there was no sign that she had ever been there.

* * *

Tom Marvolo Riddle stroked a hand down Nagini's scales, deep in thought. The disappearance of one Harry James Potter was a complex mystery to be sure. Day after day for weeks he had gotten no new news from his Death Eaters, only hearing again and again that the boy had disappeared without a trace. No sign of magic, no physical trace marks left behind. No one had seen him leave and wherever the boy was at was too well guarded for him to look for.

It was disturbing to say the least. When the boy was with his relatives or at Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort was sure that the boy wasn't learning anything that could be used against him. The boy was learning the same stuff that he had after all. Less so, possibly. The Dark Lord doubted that the boy actually did any research of his own. Besides, Dumbledore and the Order couldn't possibly know about his horcruxes. He was safe when Harry Potter was with them.

But now the boy was out of his controlled areas. He had no idea where the boy was, who he was with, and what he was learning. The boy could very well be on his way to destroying all that Voldemort had ever worked for.

It was a frightening thought and Voldemort was not a wizard that was easily frightened. What was it about Harry Potter that could frighten him? Was it the fact that he knew that the boy would one day have the power to destroy him if given the right resources? Or was it something more?

Lord Voldemort rose to his feet and stood still has Nagini slithered down and around his feet before untwining herself from him.

"Come Nagini." He hissed in Parseltongue. He was concerned about Potter's disappearance but he could worry about it no longer. At the very least, while the boy was gone, he could quicken his pace. He would strike faster and in more places at once. The more strikes that took place while the boy was gone would cause the wizarding world to give up quicker. He still had the resources to win this fight.


	7. Chapter 7

Albus Dumbledore closed his pale blue eyes wearily and put his face into his hands. One lone tear trickled down his cheek, having leaked out of his eye.

He had failed and he knew it. He had failed to protect his charge, his student, the person who he thought of as his grandson and most of all he had failed to protect the wizarding world.

Tom Riddle knew that Harry had disappeared and was taking advantage of the opportunity. He could feel the hopes of the wizards and witches falling day by day. Now it was only the merest of all hopes, just dangling by a thread. The only reason that hope was even there was because of him and the Order. Somehow they gave others the barest of hope by not even imagining that Harry would not come back. However, the elderly wizard was starting to have his own doubts. What kind of magic could it be that no other magic could pick up on it, could trace it?

What exactly had Harry gotten into? With that boy it was always something new. Something that was extraordinarily rare, something unheard of. The boy had power but even Dumbledore didn't know to what extents his power reached.

Unless…

Unless it was something else that Dumbledore was unaware of. Something else that was affecting Harry and making him seem stronger than he actually was. Something or someone that had the power to make an ordinary boy seem rather unique while at the same time managing to stay behind the scenes, completely invisible.

Dumbledore shook his head and laughed at the thought. It was impossible. There was no way. He would have known by now otherwise. Still…it was worth a try.

Carefully Dumbledore stood up, sighing as his body registered the difficulty and the slight aching in his movements. He was starting to feel his age. He had been feeling his age these past few years.

Only a few steps away a fire hissed and spat, burning as it always had since Dumbledore had first become headmaster.

"Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place." He stated clearly in a voice that proved just how tired he was. However he couldn't just stop. He had an Order to answer to, an Order to direct.

"Anything new Albus?" was the first thing he heard as he exited the fireplace. Blue eyes searched the faces that were eagerly expecting his answer.

"No." He replied, shaking his head. "However, we are going to search through the house one last time. However, this time we are not going to look for any clues about Harry."

He expected the confused looks, he expected the suspicious looks. He expected all the reactions that followed, even the narrowing of Severus' eyes. The man knew what he was onto.

"What do you mean Professor?" Bill Weasley was finally the one that asked the question that was on everyone's mind. Albus sighed slowly.

"We know that Number 4 Privet Drive has always been occupied by Vernon Dursley, his wife Petunia, their son Dudley and Harry, their nephew. That equals four in number. We're going to be looking for a fifth presence." He announced.

There was silence as his fellow witches and wizards attempted to figure out what he meant.

"Do you mean to say that you believe that there has been a fifth person living in the house with them? A person that has never been seen before?" Nymphadora Tonks asked, eyes narrowing slightly. Albus gave a slight nod.

"It is highly unlikely but yes. That is what we'll be looking for. If there is in fact a fifth presence, then it might lead to some clues as to where Harry might have gone." He stated in a smooth manner. He didn't want to give the others too much hope in case they found nothing but at the same time he wanted to give them some hope.

They were lucky tonight, the Order discovered as they reached the Dursley home. The Dursley family was out for the evening, wanting to get some sort of peace that they could no longer find in their home.

For the Order, it saved them a great deal of time because had the Dursleys been home, they would have had to talked their way into the house and then they would have had to try and get the Dursleys to allow them to search their home. It was easier this way, with no interference to work around.

The house was searched from top to bottom, with nothing new being found at first. Not even Lupin, with his highly sensitive nose was able to pick up any traces of an odd smell. The Order went room-by-room, spells and charms cast over every small object. Nothing was revealed to be out of the ordinary.

It was a very disheartening situation.

Taking a chance, one Severus Snape stepped outside. He wasn't concerned about being seen because he had already scanned the area around the block for Death Eaters. There was no one.

The yard was untouched as well. There was no fifth presence. Snape wondered if Dumbledore was really going senile. How else would he have gotten the idea of a fifth person living at the Dursleys?

Had Severus not had been a spy and trained to look for signs of danger in every little thing, he would have never spotted it.

It being the little indentations in the wood, indentations caused by the wood smoothing out due to pressure and wear. Severus didn't approach the tree any closer, knowing that he would only look ridiculous if seen climbing a tree, but he still was able to examine the little marks.

The branch was bent in the slightest way. There were two small indentations on the lowest branch close to where the branch met the trunk and on the branch above there was another larger indentation.

It was interesting. Someone standing or crouching on the branch could have caused the smaller indentations, just as someone sitting could have created the larger one. Coincidentally or not, that branch just happened to give a view into Harry's window.

Severus narrowed his eyes.

So maybe Dumbledore wasn't senile. Maybe he had been right on the dot, just off about the location of that dot. No, there was no fifth presence in the house but there was a presence outside of the house. Someone had been watching outside of the house and they had managed to go undetected for years.

It was certainly interesting.

Suddenly feeling like he was being watched, Severus looked around, moving only his eyes.

His attention was drawn to the street. A figure stood in the middle, not moving.

"Death Eater!" Severus winced as he heard Tonks' loud cry. He never understood how the woman became an auror. There was nothing subtle about her.

Dumbledore glanced out the window in time to get on glimpse of the Death Eater watching them before it disappeared. He frowned. Something seemed off. A glance to the yard showed him the sight of a frowning Severus. It seemed that his spy too found something odd about that situation.

Unlike Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Potions professor of Hogwarts and head of Slytherin House, spy for both Lord Voldemort and the Order of the Phoenix, knew instantly what was wrong.

The mask was too white and the shape was too animalistic. Whoever was watching them was definitely not a Death Eater.

* * *

Draco Malfoy winced in pain as the raw skin on his hands and fingers came in contact with his towel. It didn't matter how soft the towels were or what he did. His hands still always hurt after he had been working for a long period of time.

The blonde teenager drew back startled as small hands took his hands and quickly examined them. Draco looked up, heart beating fast, and sighed in relief as he registered a strand of purple hair.

"So jumpy." A feminine voice murmured, the voice muffled due to the mask worn over the face. "What have you been doing that you're so jumpy about."

Grey eyes looked away and the masked figure let out a small sigh.

"Alright, don't tell me." She said sadly. "Just promise me that you'll get some sleep. I can't very well take care of you unless you take care of yourself. I can't be here all the time."

Draco balked at the insinuation that he needed taking care of.

"I do know how to take care of myself." He snapped.

"Then stop putting so much pressure on yourself." Was the reply snapped back. Draco sneered but his sneer soon faded away.

"I don't try to." He explained. "But there's no other way that I know."

There was silence as Draco had salve put on his wounds and his hands wrapped. Finally Draco asked a question that had been nagging him for years.

"Why?"

The hands that held his hesitated slightly before pulling away. Draco pursed his lips as his guardian drew away with her hands.

"Because it's my mission." She replied curtly. Draco looked disappointed but he tried to hide it well.

 _And it's because no child in this world should deal with the pressure that's on your shoulders,_ she finished silently. She had made it into her own personal mission to ensure that both of her boys lived the best lives they could, free from pressure and what society expected of them.

"Just remember that my offer still stands." She reminded the blonde. Draco nodded curtly. The masked figure turned away, ready to leave but one last comment from Draco stopped her.

"Make sure Potter doesn't get hurt." Draco said quietly.

"Hai." Came the reply and the woman vanished.


	8. Chapter 8

Uzumaki Naruto gazed at the village walls with a goofy grin on his face. Seeing the walls, it was hard to believe that two and a half years had gone by since he had left to train with Jiraiya, the Pervy-Sage. The outside of the village sure hadn't changed and he found himself wondering how the people inside those massive walls had changed. He doubted that they would be the same because, after all, even he had changed physically, if not mentally.

Naruto glanced back at his sensei, who was looking at the walls as well. His grin grew even wider.

"Come on, Pervy-Sage!" He cried and took off towards the village. The white haired man shook his head at the recklessness of the boy but started forward as well. Together the two passed through the towering gates, not even bothering to talk to the guards, who were looking quite bored.

The two guards blinked, not quite sure if they had seen the two correctly or if they had finally become bored enough that they were experiencing hallucinations. They stood up to watch the pair continue further into town, blinking in surprise.

"Is that?" One of them began and his partner nodded. Numbly, they sat down, unable to speak. After a minute or two, small smiles crossed their lips. Though Naruto's arrival may have come as a surprise, it was a good thing that he was finally back. The village had never felt quite the same since he had gone for training. Most shinobi would refuse to admit it, but the village was eerily quiet whenever their resident prankster left town.

Harry Potter gave a small sigh as he shifted the basket he was carrying to his other hand. He was taking a new load of perfumes to Ino and the shop. He was becoming more popular as time went on. He supposed he would have to thank the local grapevine for that. After the past few years at Hogwarts, he had learned never to underestimate how much people liked to gossip. At least they were gossiping about his products and not about him. Still, Harry was beginning to feel like he had to be careful. Much more popularity and people would become curious about the maker behind the perfumes.

Harry started as a boy walking in front of him dashed up a tall pole. Harry watched in amazement as the blonde haired boy climbed higher and higher, using only his feet. He knew that the boy must be a shinobi from that alone, but it was still amazing to see what shinobi could do. It was like his first visit to Diagon Alley all over again.

The black-haired teen watched until the boy reached the top before realizing that he should probably move on. The long-time citizens of Konoha were going about their business, as if they hadn't even noticed the boy. It was highly possible that they hadn't. After all, in a shinobi village as big as Konoha, they probably would have become accustomed to seeing such things.

Harry adjusted his basket one more time and resumed walking towards the Yamanaka flower shop. He hoped that Ino wouldn't bug him more about going on a date or about which gender he preferred. Honestly, what sort of a question was that?

Soon, all thoughts about the blonde shinobi were pushed from Harry's mind as he tried to think of the best ways to avoid Ino's persistent questioning. There had to be some way to distract the girl after all.

As he moved along, Harry missed the eyes that followed his every movement. Jiraiya frowned as the boy moved out of sight. There was something odd about that boy. He dressed and moved like a civilian but he had stopped and watched when Naruto had begun his climb. The boy could have just been a newcomer to Konoha, previously from a village that had no shinobi but Jiraiya was skeptical due to the scar on Harry's forehead. He was positive that he saw chakra swirling behind that scar. It was faint, more like a residue than anything else, but it didn't feel like a residue. Jiraiya had felt a presence like this before but it had been quite some time so he couldn't place it immediately.

Jiraiya sighed and turned back to the pole to call up to Naruto. He couldn't research the boy any further at the moment but as soon as he could, he would ask about the boy.

Harry opened the door to the Yamanaka flower shop as quietly as possible, hoping that if he was quiet, Ino wouldn't notice him. He cringed as the bell rang, announcing a visitor. He had forgotten about that.

"Akago-san." He was greeted politely by Ino's mother, who was apparently in charge of the shop today.

"Yamanaka-san." He returned the greeting with a small bow. "I have some more perfumes." The teen offered the basket to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman.

The woman gave a surprised smile as she took it.

"Again. That's the second time this week. You must be kept busy, making all of this."

Harry gave a small shrug.

"It keeps me busy enough." He admitted. "Though I would rather be kept busy than be bored."

Ino's mother gave him a look that Harry couldn't quite describe, but he instinctively knew to dread it.

"Well, I certainly hope that you do other things than just work." She commented lightly, busying herself with arranging a bouquet that someone had ordered earlier in the day.

The feeling of dread grew. Harry began to eye the woman nervously, shifting from one foot to another.

"I read a lot. I also go for walks sometimes. It suits me." He responded as calm as he could. He received a sharp look for his response.

"You don't hang out with others your age?" She asked. "I understand that you're new, but I would think that you would be eager to make comrades to make the transition easier. A nice man like you could easily make friends and even be a hit with the girls, I would imagine."

Harry burst into an abrupt coughing fit, shocked. He felt ganged up on, first by Ino and now her mother. Before he knew it, his guardian might even be doing the same, whenever she got back from her mission. Hopefully it would be soon, as he had no idea how to work his way out of these situations. He was hoping she could give him some advice.

"Err…" He honestly had no idea what to say once he had recovered from his coughing fit. Ino's mother raised her eyebrows.

"Boys then?" She asked. Harry's coughing fit resumed.

"Err…"He tried to think of a reply yet again. Yamanaka-san gave an exasperated sigh.

"Come on Akago-san. You cannot honestly tell me that you are not attracted to anyone. Or is it that you still have an interest in someone in your old village?"

Harry gaped at the older woman. He didn't even try to reply. Instead, the teenager turned on his heel and ran, forgetting his basket. He only slowed down once he was well away from the flower shop.

"Gotta be careful." He muttered under his breath as he continued walking. "The flowers in that shop make people go crazy." He wondered what Hermione and Ron would say about the women in that shop. Hermione would probably roll her eyes and scoff, believing that there were more important things than setting people up on dates and Ron would probably proclaim the mother and daughter set "completely mad." Sirius would just laugh.

Harry's heart panged at the thought. Sirius would never laugh again. He would never hear about the tales of the Yamanaka women that Harry had to tell. He would never hear about the land of the shinobi and how Harry had spent his days as a perfume maker.

Harry pushed away the thoughts. He had tried his best to not think of Sirius and his life back in the Wizarding World but it was inevitable. The moment that he wasn't preoccupied, they came to the forefront of his mind. Time and time again, he wondered if he was abandoning the Wizarding World for the sake of a more simple life. He wondered what his friends would think, if they knew he was here and the reason he remained here. They probably assumed that something awful had happened to him. He wondered what they would say if they knew he was merely taking a break from all the fame and drama his name brought him.

"They'd say I was shirking my duty." Harry muttered under his breath.

"Who would say that?" Harry turned sharply, not expecting anyone to overhear him. He jerked back as a face appeared directly in front of him. It was the blonde shinobi from earlier. Able to examine him closer, Harry was able to see that the boy was about his age and had bright blue eyes. He also had six whisker-like marks on his cheeks, three on each side. Harry immediately thought of his own scar. They were both marked.

"My family." He replied shortly, hoping that would be enough. It was true in a sense. His friends were his family, right now the only family he had left besides the Dursleys, who couldn't care less. "They were killed by rogue nin awhile back and I came here for a new life." Harry didn't know why he was explaining about himself but there was something about the boy that made him open up. "Who're you?"

The boy gave a bright smile.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the next Hokage!" He announced loudly. Harry stared at the blonde shinobi, slightly amazed by how cheerful and loud the boy was. He was like a male version of Ino. A horrifying thought.

"Hiru Akago, perfume maker." He replied shortly at Naruto's expectant look. "And that's all I ever want to be."


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto gave Harry an odd look and tilted his head to the side. He hadn't heard of anyone not having any goals or dreams before. Well except for Shikamaru, but he was just a lazy bum.

"How can you not want to be anything more?" He blurted out. "How can you not have dreams and goals?"

Harry looked at Naruto in an odd way, trying to determine if the boy was actually a shinobi. He was very loud, but then again so was Ino. He fit the eccentric style certainly. Harry didn't know anyone that wore that much orange back in England.

"When did I ever say that I didn't have any dreams or goals?" He asked the younger looking boy, crossing his arms. "Maybe my dream is to live a simple life with no complications whatsoever. Maybe my goal in life is just to remain a part of the crowd and not stand out. Or maybe my dream is to become a famous perfume-maker and my goal is to be written about in books that are about perfume-making."

It took a lot of restraint for Harry to not break out laughing. The dreams about being famous had already come true, but not about perfume making. The fact that anyone could become famous off of making perfumes was just ridiculous. People got put in books when they created something revolutionary or when they defeated the darkest lord of all time. That Harry knew from personal experience.

The orange clad shinobi just looked confused.

"Umm…what?" He asked, scratching the back of his head. Harry just shook his head. Luckily he was saved having to answer when a girl interrupted the two of them.

"Naruto!" She called out, waving slightly and drawing Naruto's attention away from the perfume maker. Staring at the girl, Harry blinked a couple of times, trying to make sure what he was seeing was in fact reality.

"Is that hair color natural?" He asked. He had only seen one woman with pink hair before and that was Tonks. He wasn't really sure if he could call Tonks' hair natural or not because it was constantly changing. It would be wicked if the pink hair was natural though.

Sakura scowled at the question. Clearly the boy was a civilian if he was asking a question like that. After awhile, most shinobi didn't comment on appearances. They had seen everything after all. Appearances didn't matter in the long run. What mattered was having the skills and ability to stay alive and to carry out the mission.

"Yes, it is," she replied in a growl of a voice. She tried to remember that the boy was a civilian and therefore wouldn't heal like a shinobi would if she punched him. She only prayed that he wouldn't pull a Naruto and say something stupid.

Harry grinned.

"Cool," he replied. "You can't change your hair color by any chance, could you?"

Sakura gave him a weird look.

"Of course not." She snapped. "Hair only stays one color unless you dye it."

Harry, knowing Tonks, begged to differ but he remained silent. If he mentioned Tonks, questions would be asked and he would prefer to avoid questions.

"Akago-kun!" A familiar voice called out. Harry paled. He had just gotten through one traumatizing encounter with a female Yamanaka. He wasn't quite sure that he could deal with another one.

"Akago-kun!" This time the call was sharper and much closer to where Harry was standing. Harry turned and laughed nervously.

"Hey Ino-san." He tried to look happy to see her, instead of the petrified that he really was. Judging by Ino's look, he was failing.

"My mother told me you stopped by a few minutes ago and I decided I would come and find you." She informed the 15-year-old boy. "She mentioned that she was concerned that you weren't making friends. Therefore, I've decided that you're coming to dinner tonight with me and my team."

"I couldn't." Harry protested. "I'm very busy tonight plus things would be kind of awkward if suddenly someone, especially a civilian, came to something as special as a team dinner."

Ino let out a shrill laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous! It'll be fun." She decided. "Plus, if you don't do this, I can easily find something that will be much more awkward and torturous."

Harry gulped and Ino laughed again.

"Oh hi Naruto! Welcome back." The girl caught sight of her two yearmates. "Hey Billboard Brow." Ino scowled at Sakura. Neither of the girls had forgotten their rivalry, though it wasn't as intense as it had been before. There was really no reason for it to be when the object of their affections wasn't there to witness them fighting.

Sakura scowled.

"Ino-pig." She greeted the blonde. "You know this civilian?"

It was Harry's turn to scowl. He didn't like being called "this civilian" even though he technically was one. Ino only smiled.

"Yep! He's the one that made that perfume you bought a few weeks ago. Not that it seems to have done you any good."

Both Harry and Sakura scowled at Ino.

"If I'm only going to be a topic of conversation and not actually part of the conversation, I'm going." Harry decided, turning to leave.

"I'll pick you up at seven, Akago-kun!" Ino called as Harry left the scene.

"Don't bother." Harry muttered under his breath. He planned to fight Ino until she literally had to drag him to the restaurant. He had come to Konoha to relax and take a break from all that was happening in the Wizarding World. He didn't plan to make friends, knowing that would only make going back harder.

Harry scowled at Ino who was sitting across the table. When he decided that she was going to have to drag him to the restaurant, he had forgotten one key thing. Ino was a shinobi and had the strength to do exactly that. Now they were sitting in the outside section of a local barbecue restaurant. It was a nice night out so they had chosen the quieter, less crowded section of the restaurant.

"I can't believe you." He hissed as the two of them waited for her teammates to join them. Ino only smirked.

"Stop complaining and enjoy yourself." She informed the sulking civilian. "It's good for you to get out once and awhile."

"I don't have the time." Harry grumbled. Ino gave him a sharp look.

"Stop using that excuse." She snapped. "You and I both know that perfume making can't possibly take up your every waking moment, so stop making it seem like it does."

"But it does." Harry adopted a whining tone. "Perfumes are very sensitive. If they sit for too long or if they're in too much light, the entire thing is ruined."

Ino scowled at Harry's weak excuses.

"It's not working." She told him and Harry sighed, defeated.

"This is going to be awkward." He said mournfully as three shinobi entered the restaurant. Two looked to be around Ino's age and one was much older. From Ino's descriptions, he could already tell that they were her teammates.

"Hi!" Ino greeted the trio and Harry weakly smiled. The three shinobi looked at him, not in surprise, but in amusement.

"You finally forced him out of his apartment then, Ino?" The boy with a ponytail asked. Ino nodded and Harry glared at her.

"You told them about me?" He demanded. Ino smiled sweetly at Harry.

"Of course Akago-kun. How else do you think people find out about your products if people like me don't spread the word?" She asked in an innocent voice. "Plus I was telling them that it was a shame that you didn't get out more often."

Harry sighed.

"I'm out right now. Aren't you happy?" He asked, waving his arms in the air.

"Happier than before but not as happy as I could be." Ino smirked, knowing she had won this battle.

"Troublesome woman." Harry growled. Ino blinked, as if she couldn't believe that Harry had just said that, and her teammates chuckled. Ino huffed in annoyance.

"Don't say that." She demanded. Harry grinned. Now he had something to annoy her with, just like she could annoy him with talks about him needing a life.

"What, troublesome woman? Why ever not?" He asked, mimicking the innocent voice she had used just minutes before. Ino glared at him.

"Akago-kun…"She growled out and her teammates continued to chuckle.

"You might have bitten off more than you can chew with this new project of yours, Ino." Her larger teammate said. Harry looked put out.

"I'm not a project. I'm just a perfume maker that is constantly harassed by the daughter of my patron." Ino scowled at Harry who stuck his tongue out at her.

The next few minutes were awkward for Harry as he got accustomed to Ino's team. They were a very unique bunch, but that was the case with most shinobi, as he was beginning to realize.

After awhile, Harry began to get more and more comfortable in the setting. Watching Ino and Shikamaru bicker was a lot like watching Ron and Hermione bicker. Reminded of his best friends, Harry began to wonder how their sixth year at Hogwarts was going. Had Hermione gotten all of the OWLs she wanted? Was Ron enjoying a year without Trelawney and Snape, now that he was no longer required to take those subjects? Who had taken over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, now that yet another professor had left the post?

With those thoughts in mind, Harry failed to take notice of the dark, horse-like shape in the air until it landed outside of the restaurant sitting area and cast its shadow over him.


	10. Chapter 10

When a black skeletal horse with wings and reptilian features landed outside the restaurant, Ino stopped in midsentence, forgetting what she was talking about upon seeing the beast. Chouji nearly dropped his chopsticks and instinctively went on the defense. Asuma, the team leader, unconsciously reached for a kunai due to his years of shinobi training. Shikamaru blinked and narrowed his eyes slightly. He had never heard or read about a creature such as this one.

Harry, noticing the odd reactions of his companions and the sudden shadow that had fallen over him, reluctantly turned around. His stomach felt like it was being twisted into knots and being dropped off the Eiffel Tower as he did so. It was the feeling he normally had right before things became complicated.

The green-eyed teenager wanted to wail when he saw the thestral that was uncannily staring right at him. For once, things had been going the way he wanted and now he suspected was the moment that all his careful planning would go to hell. You know, like it normally did.

"Asuma-sensei, what is that?" Ino asked, looking at the older man. Sarutobi Asuma made the cigarette in his mouth twitch, unsure of what to say. If he could determine whether the creature was a threat or not, then he could probably make something up to tell his students. If the creature was a threat, then it would be detained or killed and given to the Hokage and her team for study. If it wasn't, then it would still have to be captured and the Hokage would have to be informed about the situation.

"I'm not quite sure," he finally said. Harry tried to hold in a sigh of relief. If the shinobi with the most experience couldn't tell what the thestral was and where it came from, then it most likely wouldn't be linked back to him. He could be safe for a little while longer.

"What are we going to do then?" Shikamaru drawled, unlocking his hands from behind his head and bringing them to his sides, where he could easily reach kunai. "The others have noticed it."

True enough, other Konoha shinobi that were around the restaurant were looking in their direction and seemed to debating about coming closer or not. Most of the civilians were oblivious to what was going on, as the shinobi were being rather subtle and they couldn't see the thestral. The few civilians who could see the magical being had decided to clear out of the area. Unknown creatures and battle-ready shinobi were always best to stay clear of.

The thestral trilled softly, taking a few steps closer to Harry. It's long black tailed swished from side to side as it came closer. Harry tensed, which proved to be a very bad move on his part for two reasons.

One, it proved that he could see this creature so it left feigning ignorance no longer an option for him. His lack of reaction at first seeing it could be used against him later. The lack of reaction, besides for the slight look of dread and fear that crossed his face, could easily prove that he was familiar with this type of beast.

Harry tensing up was also a bad move because it prompted the shinobi to attack. Kunai and shuriken began to fly as soon as the black-haired boy reacted. Ino and Chouji, the two closest to him, yanked Harry down to the ground, out of the way of the flying projectiles.

The thestral gave a louder trill that ended in a screech and flapped its black, leathery wings as it was attacked. The screeches grew, both in volume and in intensity, as kunai and shuriken bit into its skin and wings. The continuous flapping of its wings drew air under the thestral, allowing it to take flight. Despite the numerous tears and gashes in its wings from the kunai and shuriken, the thestral was able to gather height quickly. A few kunai were able to lodge themselves in the thestral but a moving target was much harder to hit than one that was stationary. The wings of the disturbing winged horse became the targeted area for the shinobi because each time one of their weapons stuck in a wing, the thestral's ascent slowed and once or twice, the thestral even lost height.

Harry didn't realize he was holding his breath until he felt faint. It was only after he felt himself falling backwards that he remembered to breathe. The first couple of breaths hurt and he was pretty positive that he inhaled dust and a bug or two. The civilian broke into a coughing fit as his lungs struggled for air. The harshness of the coughing fit made his eyes tear up and Harry lost sight of the thestral, his first real contact with the wizarding world since he had arrived in Konoha.

Over his coughing fit, Harry was able to pick up on an extremely loud and long trill. The trill was repeated for a second and third time before it cut off sharply. Harry pushed back his coughs, despite the burn it provided to his lungs. The tears in his eyes were wiped away just in time for Harry to see the thestral flying away, out of distance from any more flying projectiles launched by hostile shinobi. He took note of which direction it flew in so he could attempt to find it later. Later being when he wasn't surrounded by shinobi.

"Akago-kun, are you okay?" Ino asked, as Harry's coughing fit resumed. He nodded and then doubled over as a particularly harsh cough came over him.

"Dust," he heaved out once he had recovered enough to speak. That single word left him out of breath but Harry didn't mind, as it gave him an excuse to not talk about what just happened.

"What should we do about that creature? It's not native to Konoha or any of the lands that surround us," a shinobi was saying as he twirled a kunai between his fingers. Any civilians who had been eating at the restaurant or had happened to be in the area had cleared out, whether they had seen the thestral or not. It was safer to be well away from a battleground than to be in the middle of it like Harry had been.

"Tell the Hokage so she can send a team to track it," a kunoichi snapped out, as if it should have been that obvious of what they had to do.

"Ino-chan, you should probably take Hiru-san home. I'm sure he'll want to recover… from his fright," Asuma commanded quietly. In truth, he didn't want a civilian to hear about what would happen next. The shinobi of Konoha tried very hard to keep details of their jobs away from civilians, even minor ones like what they would do next or whom they reported to. The less that was known by civilians, the better.

"Hai," Ino nodded and gripped Harry's upper arm. She easily dragged him to his feet and pulled him away from the gathering shinobi. The wizard stumbled along behind her, trying to keep up and somehow convince her to let go or, at the very least, loosen her grip. However, Ino's pace barely allowed time for Harry to catch a breath. He certainly wasn't able to walk that fast and talk at the same time.

Once they were well away from the restaurant, Ino finally let go.

"Do  _you_  know what that was?" she asked him curiously, eyes wide. "I've never seen anything like it before and I've never heard of a wild creature, especially one that big, just landing in the middle of an area crowded by humans."

Harry hesitated. He didn't want to lie to the closest thing he had to a friend here, but he didn't want to tell the truth either. The truth was too complicated but Harry sucked at lying. A half-truth would have to do.

He shook his head.

"I haven't seen them before but I've heard of something that fits its description. It looked like a death horse to me."

"A what?"

"A death horse. Where I was born, there's a myth or two about them. Apparently you can only see them if you've seen someone die," Harry grimaced as the scenes from the graveyard flashed before his eyes. He would never be able to forget the lifeless look in Cedric's eyes or the way the boy had lain after being hit by the killing curse, all spread out and vulnerable-looking.

Ino let out a small gasp, covering her mouth with a hand. That would make sense as to why some of the civilians hadn't reacted until the shinobi had started throwing weapons. Then she took a closer look at Harry.

"So, you've seen someone die then." She stated. Harry closed his eyes and bent his head, trying to shield his face from view. He didn't have the best poker face.

"My family," he replied. "By rogue Nin, remember. It's why I'm here in the first place." Not one hundred percent true, but not entirely false either. Harry was here because he needed space from everything magical.

"How did you survive then?" Ino questioned. "I have a hard time believing that rogue Nin would kill everyone in your family but you."

She had a point.

"I was coming home," Harry made up on the spot. "I stopped before reaching my house because I saw flames. They burned everything, including everything living. My family was burned alive. I didn't have to be up close to see it to know that they were dead."

It was a bit morbid but it would do.

The two walked in silence for a few minutes. Before he knew it, Ino and Harry were in front of his apartment.

"I'll see you later," Ino said softly. Harry nodded but as she turned away, Harry abruptly drew Ino in for a hug. She was tense at first but relaxed when it became apparent that Harry was going to do nothing more than hug her.

"Thank you," he said. It was nice to not be given sympathy. It was all Harry had ever received since Sirius' death, even from his friends. It became tiring after a while. Ino gave Harry a smile and a finger wave as she drew away.

"Later!" she called as she walked away.

From a distance, Hatake Kakashi watched the interaction through a lazy half-closed eye. Automatically he flipped a page in his book, trying to ignore the irritation that threatened to overcome him. He had no reason to be irritated. It was just a hug, after all. Unless Ino and Hiru Akago were more than just friends. Kakashi didn't like the feeling that surged up in him when he considered that option.

"You do realize that no one actually believes you read those books anymore," a feminine voice came from beside him. Kakashi regarded the woman who had appeared coolly.

"Your point?" he asked.

"No point. Just a statement," the woman replied, removing the mask from her face. Her violet hair swung forward to frame her face.

"You've been working a lot lately, Yūgao," Kakashi commented.

"Your point?"

"No point. Just a statement," the silver-haired man retorted. The pair was silent for a moment.

"We deal with things in our own ways. You go to the memorial stone; I work harder just to have something to do. I don't need to move up any further in life." Kakashi said nothing. There was nothing he could say.

"What's he like?" Kakashi asked abruptly. Yūgao smiled.

"Who? Hiru-san?" she asked. "Why would I know anything about Hiru-san?"

Kakashi narrowed his one eye.

"Don't play coy," he said. "I've seen you talking to him. Obviously you know him."

"So do you," Yūgao pointed out. "You've talked to him."

Kakashi growled. This is why he and her had never worked together in ANBU. They truly represented their animals and dogs and cats never worked together.

"Well?" he demanded. Yūgao smiled.

"Find out for yourself," she said. "After all, that's one of the things shinobi do best."


	11. Chapter 11

Harry was surprised when he walked outside the next morning to find Kakashi outside his door. He was, for all appearances, waiting for Harry.

"Um, good morning Kakashi-san." Harry greeted the older man. Kakashi gave his traditional two-fingered wave.

"Morning, Akago-san," he replied and put away his book. "Do you have any plans for this morning yet?"

Harry shook his head.

"Not really. I was going to look for some fresh ingredients in the market for my perfumes but that was all I had planned for the day. Though I'm sure Ino-san will hunt me down and drag me out in an effort to get me to socialize more." Harry grimaced at the thought. He normally wouldn't mind it so much but he still was wary of getting close to the people in this village. At the back of his mind, he always remembered that he would have to ultimately have to return to the Wizarding World. The less connections he formed, the better it was in the end.

"Ino-chan can be very persistent," Kakashi agreed. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

Harry shook his head. He had planned to grab something to eat at the market if he got hungry.

"Would you care to join me for some then?"

Harry gave the grey-haired man an odd look. What was he up to?

"I don't have anything to do until this afternoon," Kakashi explained at his look, "And I enjoy hearing interesting stories over a meal. I understand that you have quite an interesting story about last night."

Ah. It made sense. Kakashi wanted to know about the thestral.

"Word travels fast around here, doesn't it?" Harry remarked as he and Kakashi began to walk. Kakashi's one eye looked at Harry in surprise.

"Of course. Shinobi make their living off of information. Without information, we would be lost in war."

Harry silently agreed. Finding out about the prophecy had changed his perspective on the war in the Wizarding World. Not knowing had led to Sirius' death in a way. The younger man shoved his hands into his pockets.

"What made you become a shinobi?" Harry asked quietly. Kakashi glanced at the boy. He knew there was something on the boy's mind. It was written all over his face.

"Duty," Kakashi replied immediately. At Harry's look, he explained himself further. "I had a duty to my family to follow in my father's footsteps, no matter how disgraced he was. I also had a duty to protect my village. I had the skills they needed and I put them to use."

The Boy-Who-Lived nodded silently. Kakashi's explanation was too familiar for him. It was the story of all his classmates. They had the skills that were needed—magic—and Hogwarts trained them so they could put their skills to use. It was because of the circumstances that they were being trained to go to war, even though most of the students hadn't realized it yet. Harry had realized it as he trained the DA but he hadn't come to terms with it until Sirius' death.

"So what exactly was it last night that caused so much uproar?" Kakashi asked to break the silence. Harry gave him a sidelong glance.

"I think it was a death horse. We have myths about them back home. They can only be seen by those who have seen death."

"Most civilians would find a creature like that frightening," Kakashi murmured. "Home was the Land of Tea for you?"

Harry nodded.

"What do you miss the most about it?"

Harry shrugged. He hadn't really thought about it. He had tried to live in the moment as much as possible. Looking back on the past was pointless and hurt while trying to predict the future normally gave him headaches and night terrors.

"Probably the scenery," he finally said.

"The scenery?" Kakashi's voice held faint amusement. Harry blushed slightly.

"I like nature. If you haven't noticed, most of my products are based on things from nature. Without them, I couldn't make a living."

"True," the silver-haired shinobi agreed. "Tell me, do you only make perfumes or are you interested in making other things?"

"Other things?" Harry quirked an eyebrow.

"Lotions, salves, things like that." Kakashi explained as they walked along the streets. "Many people believe that those things have healing properties if made with the right things. You could expand your business if you tried making things like that."

"I'd rather not. I like being relatively unknown. Plus, I tried but I was horrible at it," Harry admitted. "My teacher tried to teach me but I always ended up getting something wrong and messing up the final product." That was an understatement. His potions weren't just messed up. Harry always considered himself lucky if there were no explosions or melted cauldrons at the end of a Potions class. "Finally, he just let me do my perfumes. It's something I instinctively picked up on. I learned the basics from my teacher and the books and the rest I just picked up as I went."

"Instincts show how good a man is at his craft. You can read all the books, talk to everyone you know and still not learn as well as you do by instinct." Kakashi agreed and stepped into a shop. "Of course, you can't really teach that lesson to your students either."

"Know from experience?" Harry asked wryly, following Kakashi and looking around. It was a small shop, very quaint. A civilian woman worked behind the counter. Available for purchase were breakfast trays that held a combination of miso soup, natto, different types of fish, nori, tamogoyaki, tsukemono, and rice. Harry ordered a tray with just rice, natto, and miso soup. He was having a hard time adjusting to the food here in Konoha. It was so different from what he normally ate back in England. He had spent the first few weeks feeling sick to his stomach because he wasn't used to the food. The only good thing about the food was that he had lost his dislike for fish.

Kakashi ordered his breakfast as well and answered Harry's question.

"Of course. I was privileged enough to pass my knowledge on to three students." A dark look flickered across Kakashi's face. "Well, two now I suppose. Though they haven't been around to learn anything for a while. I suspect that's going to change soon."

"Oh?" Harry fumbled a bit with the chopsticks. He had gotten accustomed to eating with them over the past few weeks but the first few bites were always awkward.

"One of them has been traveling for the past couple of years. The other chose to train as a healer under someone who was better suited for training her. Tonight I'm going to see what they learned while they've been away from me." Kakashi gave a wolfish grin.

"Why do I suddenly pity them?" Harry grinned as well. He recognized the look in Kakashi's eye. It was similar to how the Weasley twins looked when they were plotting their next joke. Many feared the look.

Breakfast seemed to fly by for both of them. It was nice to eat meals with other people, even if it was just one other person. Harry had forgotten how nice it was. It was also surprising to see how well the conversation flowed between them. They were much more similar than Harry had originally thought. Harry had even gotten

After breakfast, Kakashi ended up accompanying Harry to the market. The wizard had asked the shinobi once he had discovered that Kakashi had amazing olfactory senses. He would occasionally offer his ideas for new scents but most of them were rather…odd to say the least.

"What about a scent that smells like meat?" Harry gave his companion an incredulous look.

"Definitely not," he replied.

"But you would get great business from the Inuzuka Clan," Kakashi gave Harry a wicked smile.

"If they want meat smelling perfume, they can buy a steak and rub it on themselves," Harry retorted and held up a sprig of lavender. "Can you think of anything that would go well with this?"

Kakashi crinkled his nose. He wasn't overly fond of flowery scents. They were too girl. It also drove his nose insane. He looked around and pointed to a random object, as he had no idea what Harry was looking for. Harry looked where he was pointing and took the sprig of lavender over to the stand.

"Squash?" he asked Kakashi, with an amused smile. The older man shrugged.

"Just a suggestion. What else do you need to get?"

Harry held up a hand and picked up a pumpkin, examining it carefully. He sniffed it carefully.

"Hm, that might work," he muttered under his breath. He turned and held the combination out towards Kakashi. "What do you think?"

Kakashi gave Harry an odd look and sniffed. He shifted uncomfortably as the scents overwhelmed him.

"I guess?" Harry rolled his eyes at the unsure answer and bought a couple of pumpkins along with more lavender. At the fruit stand across the way, he bought oranges and apples. At the herb stand he was amazed to find wintergreen berries and something that smelled a lot like black licorice.

"Are these plants even native?" he muttered to himself as he purchased the products.

"A lot of our products come from traveling merchants," Kakashi explained. "When they leave, our shinobi go with them as protection. It's also a way for shinobi to do recon missions of other countries and gather information from our moles to bring back."

Harry glanced at Kakashi curiously, shielding his eyes from the sun. It didn't seem like that was information that was supposed to be given out. The grey-haired man shrugged.

"All the larger shinobi villages do it, as well as the smaller ones. It's a good way to pick up missions and take in revenue. It can't really be considered a secret if everyone does it."

The green-eyed wizard chuckled at that. It reminded him of what Professor Dumbledore said at the end of his first year.

"I should be getting back and at least get some work done," Harry said reluctantly after they were done shopping. He couldn't believe he had spent the whole day with Kakashi at the market. It had really been an enjoyable day. The one-eyed shinobi gave a small nod.

"Weren't you supposed to give your students a test?" Harry asked when they had reached the door. He had just remembered Kakashi's words from earlier. The older man shrugged.

"I'm notorious for being late," he responded. "Can't break my habits now, can I?" Harry rolled his eyes as he opened his door.

"Don't be too cruel," he said. Kakashi grinned.

"I'll see you later, Akago-kun."

He was gone before Harry could reply.

"See you around, Kakashi-san," he mumbled, trying not to think too hard on Kakashi's words. He shouldn't be that eager to see the man again. Right?


	12. Chapter 12

Harry tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep. Every time he got close to falling asleep, he would feel something nagging at the back of his mind. After a couple of hours, Harry had just given up on sleep.

Any other night, he would have worked some more but that wasn't possible tonight. He had used up most of his supplies, including the ones he had bought earlier in the day, as he attempted to try out new scents and new methods. Now he had nothing to do.

Sitting up in bed, Harry looked around in hopes of finding something to do that would keep him occupied until he fell asleep. However, he was at a loss. Even though he had been living in Konoha for a few months now, he still only had the bare minimum in his apartment. He always kept it at the back of his mind that he would leave eventually and it had prevented him from buying any luxuries. What was the point?

At a loss, Harry decided to go for a walk. It was in the early hours of the morning but he doubted that there wouldn't be any real danger. Not in a village full of shinobi.

Within minutes Harry had gotten dressed, left his apartment, and was walking down the main streets which were still lit up. Most of the shops along his familiar route were closed and the ones that were open, Harry didn't want to go in. He suspected what kinds of things lay inside.

Eventually, Harry had wondered far enough away from the main parts of Konoha that he had reached an area that was covered with fields, clearings and forests. All the plant life in the area looked worn down and the trees especially looked like they had taken quite the beating. All over the place there were random gouges in the earth, shattered boulders, and trees snapped in half. In a couple of places, fire had scorched everything alive. It looked like a war zone.

Upon closer look, Harry spotted some fences and numbers posted along the edge of the area. It must have been a training zone. This was probably where all the shinobi trained. Better here, on the outskirts of the village, than in the main corridors of Konoha, where civilians could be easily injured. Besides, there was more space.

A loud trill cut through the air. Harry looked around wildly, trying to find where the sound had come from. It was a familiar sound after this last year. A thestral. Apparently Harry's thestral had stuck around, despite having been attacked by shinobi earlier.

The loud trill came again and Harry caught a glimpse of something circling above a heavily wooded area in the distance. Automatically, Harry's feet brought him in that direction. This was what had been nagging at the back of his mind, he realized. He had wanted to know what had happened to the thestral and what had brought it here in the first place.

By the time Harry had reached his destination, a fenced-in forest labeled the forty-fourth training ground, the thestral was waiting for him by one of the many gates. Harry approached it cautiously. The thestral eyed him in an eerie manner, making Harry shift uncomfortably. He felt like he was being examined.

Finally the thestral gave a soft trill and approached Harry, nuzzling the dark-haired boy.

"Did you come from Hogwarts?" Harry asked quietly, feeling slightly foolish. Talking to an animal like it could respond looked silly but he didn't know how to communicate with it otherwise. The thestral pulled away from Harry and nodded.

"Did someone send you?" Harry asked again, feeling encouraged. The thestral nodded again.

"Was it Professor Dumbledore?" The thestral snorted and shook its head. That must be a no.

"Was it Hermione or Ron?" Another snort. Harry wasn't surprised. The thestrals had creeped both Ron and Hermione out, even after the animals had taken them to the Ministry of Magic. It was understandable—after all, it was difficult to trust something you couldn't exactly see.

Harry mulled things over. Who would have sent a thestral to find him if it wasn't Professor Dumbledore or his two closest friends. He doubted another professor would have—with the exception of possibly Hagrid. He also doubted Ginny would have sent a thestral after him. Like her brother, she wasn't too fond of the creatures. Harry was stumped for a minute before it came to him.

"Luna or Neville?" he asked. The thestral nodded and Harry gave it a soft smile as he patted the thestral.

"However you can, let them know that I'm fine," he whispered to it. "I'm not hurt and I'm not being held against my will. I want to be here. I just need a break, that's all."

The thestral stepped back and examined Harry one more time. Then it gave a satisfied thrill and took off into the air.

Harry watched it fly away, feeling an odd mixture of feelings. He was happy that his friends cared about him enough that they tried to find him. He was also sad that the thestral was leaving him. He hadn't realized just how much he missed the wizarding world until it had shown up. It was easy not to miss something when it wasn't right in front of you.

Harry shook his head to clear away those thoughts. This was supposed to be a break from the wizarding world, where he wasn't consumed by troubling thoughts, especially about Sirius' death and the upcoming war. He wanted the chance to be normal, just for a while more. He knew that once he went back to the wizarding world he would never have the chance to be normal again.

Harry strolled back in the direction of his apartment, frowning. He was starting to feel the pangs of grief now. He hadn't felt such grief since he had first arrived in Konoha. Somehow, the people here had taken his mind off of his godfather. It was amazing how content he had become in such a short time.

"You're out late," a cool voice commented from the shadows. Harry froze, before turning woodenly to face the shadows. A familiar face emerged from them. Harry sighed in relief as he recognized the shape of the spiky white hair and the one dark eye.

"Kakashi," he said almost happily. "You're out late as well." Kakashi grinned at him.

"I guess we each have our reasons for being out so late," he said. "What's yours?"

Harry blinked. He hadn't expected such a blunt question. The green-eyed boy shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied. "Too much on my mind. What about you?"

It was impossible to read Kakashi's expression, though that might have been due to the fact that his mask covered his face.

"Too much on my mind as well," Kakashi said finally. "Though I think we have very different things on our minds. You look like someone died."

Yet another blunt phrase. Harry sighed.

"I was just thinking of my life before I came here," he said.

"And your family?" Kakashi prodded. Harry gave a tiny nod.

"Has someone close to you ever died?" Harry asked. Kakashi raised his eyebrows.

"I'm a shinobi," he pointed out. "It would be very strange if someone I knew well hadn't died."

Harry flinched. He had forgotten about that.

"Does it ever get easier?" he asked. "Does the grief ever go away?"

Kakashi was silent.

"It doesn't ever go away," he responded once he thought carefully about what he was going to say, "but eventually you'll be able to remember them without falling to pieces. Time doesn't make the pain go away but it dulls it somewhat. When a lot of people you know have gone, you find the best ways to cope."

His words didn't make Harry feel any better.

"How do you deal with it?" Harry asked. "You personally?"

"The Memorial Stone," Kakashi replied promptly.

"The Memorial Stone?" Harry furrowed his brow. He hadn't heard of such a thing. Kakashi nodded.

"It lists the names of those shinobi that were killed in action. It's the perfect place to remember those that have died."

"I wish I had something like that for my family," Harry mumbled. "I never had the chance to say good-bye."

"For those who live the shinobi way of life, that's not uncommon. It's civilians who find that unusual," Kakashi commented. Harry pulled a face.

"Guess who you're talking to," he replied in a dry voice. "That's me, the civilian who seems to get on better with shinobi."

Kakashi let out a chuckle but cut it off abruptly, looking surprised. His eyes widened fractionally. The side of Harry's mouth upturned slightly before he let out a yawn.

"Finally tired?" Kakashi asked. Harry blushed slightly.

"Well, it  _is_  almost three in the morning," he replied. "I have to get some kind of sleep."

"I'll walk you back then," Kakashi said. "One can never know who is walking around the streets at night."

"Like you and me?" Harry quipped. Kakashi's smile became clear through his mask. He grabbed Harry's wrist.

"Let's go," he said.

The pair walked back in mostly silence. They exchanged a few words here and there but Harry was growing tired fast and by the time they had reached his door, he could barely form words without yawning in the middle of them.

"I'll see you-" Harry yawned behind a hand. "Later?"

Kakashi gave a small nod. Harry turned to go inside but he was stopped by Kakashi's call.

"Akago?"

Harry turned back around to look at Kakashi. The man's mask was pulled down to his neck but Harry didn't fully comprehend what that meant until Kakashi's lips were descending on his.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry held still, surprised by the sudden action. Of all the things he had expected Kakashi to do, this certainly wasn't one of them. After a few seconds, Harry felt himself relaxing against the older man. As Harry relaxed, the gray-haired man's lips began slowly moving against his own.

Harry's eyes fluttered closed and his body shivered ever so slightly. Kakashi's hand reached up and grabbed the back of the green-eyed boy's neck, pulling him closer. Harry's own hands made to grab Kakashi's hips but the shinobi pulled away before he could establish a firm grip.

Kakashi released Harry's neck from his grip and retreated a few steps. Dark eyes met bright green. Kakashi gave a small smile as he turned away.

"I'll see you later, Akago," he called over his shoulder. Once Kakashi was out of sight, Harry found the strength to go inside his apartment. As he shut the door, the teenager brushed his fingers over his lips, remembering the feeling of the older man's against his.

Harry exhaled a shuddering breath he didn't know he had been holding and he leaned against the wall. He wasn't sure what to think of what had just happened. This changed everything most likely. There was only one thing the wizard was certain of.

He wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

The next morning, Harry still lacked things to do to keep his mind occupied and not linger on what had happened the previous night. So, he did the only thing he could. He went to the market. He waved in greeting to the people he recognized. There were more and more that fit into that category every day. Harry tried not to linger on that fact as well. After all, if he overthought it, then he would realize that he was setting down roots in the village. Setting down roots meant that Harry was considering making this permanent, which wasn't acceptable. He couldn't just abandon the wizarding world. They relied on him. This was meant to be nothing more than a break from the dangers he faced in the wizarding world.

"Knut for your thoughts?" a voice asked. Harry started. He spun around to see Yūgao lounging against one of the nearby shop walls. She was dressed in what she called her ANBU uniform, her mask hanging around her neck.

"Nothing important," he attempted to assure her. She raised an eyebrow at the obvious lie but didn't prod.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving on another mission tonight. Should take a couple of weeks. Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone."

"Is the mission back  _there?_ " Harry asked her.

"Maybe, maybe not," Yūgao replied cryptically. "The mission's a secret so I can't hand out details."

Harry nodded. That was understandable.

"If it is  _there_ ," he told her, "could you try and get word to some of the others that I'm safe? I'm sure they're worried about me and I don't want them to try anything stupid."

"Like sending a thestral to find you?" Yūgao's voice was dry. Harry's neck flushed red.

"You know about that?" he asked. Yūgao gave him an amused look.

"I'd be concerned if I didn't," she replied. "It means I was slacking in my duties."

"It's taken care of," Harry assured her. "But I don't know if I could explain any other incidents."

"I'd like to see that," Yūgao remarked. "Anyways, I better be off. Don't do anything stupid and stay out of trouble."

Harry glared at his guardian.

"I don't try! Trouble finds me," he protested but it was futile. Yūgao just waved them away and gave Harry a sly look.

"Don't let Hatake-san get you too wound up," she advised. "I know he likes to keep others on their toes but if you get too wound up, he might try and relax you. I've heard he can be quite _inventive_  in his methods."

Harry blushed but before he could sputter out anything, Yūgao was gone. Harry glared at the spot she had just been in. Bloody women, always interfering in his personal life. They just didn't know when to stop.

* * *

Harry tried to keep himself as busy as possible over the next few days. However, since his craft often involved waiting, he wasn't as busy as he liked to be and was often stuck in his apartment with his mind allowed to wander.

That was a dangerous thing. Recently, whenever his mind began to wander, it often chose to reenact the kiss from the other night. Harry had to keep his hands busy or he would find his fingers tracing over his lips.

Finally, three days after the kiss, Harry decided to give in and go search for Kakashi. He needed some answers from the man.

He didn't have to look very far. Kakashi was waiting for him outside the apartment building. Harry gave the man a strange look. Had he known that Harry was going to come looking for him?

"Akago-kun," Kakashi greeted the green-eyed boy with a small nod.

"Kakashi-san," Harry replied. "How have you been?"

"I've spent a lot of time reading and training with Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan," Kakashi said slowly. "I was hoping…"

He trailed off and Harry gave the spiky-haired man a sidelong look as they began to walk down the street.

"You were hoping what?" Harry prodded.

"That you might stop by so we could talk," Kakashi finished. Harry looked at the ground.

"I wanted to think," he admitted. "That's never happened to me before."

"You've never been kissed?" Kakashi sounded surprised.

"No!" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. "No," he repeated. "Just not by…"

"A man?" Kakashi supplied. Harry nodded.

"And then there was the age difference," Harry added.

"Aren't you fifteen or sixteen?" Kakashi asked. "You're as old as many shinobi here."

"I'm not a shinobi, though," Harry pointed out. "Where I come from, I'm still just a child."

Kakashi gave Harry a long look.

"I keep forgetting that," he said softly. "You fit in so well with the shinobi and you've the eyes of someone who has seen battle. It's hard to remember sometimes."

The pair walked in silence for a little bit before Harry suddenly laughed. Kakashi looked over at the shorter man.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You know, I could have never stopped by in the first place," Harry realized. The shinobi gave him a strange look.

"I don't know where you live," Harry pointed out. Kakashi grinned through his mask.

"That would make things difficult," he agreed. "You could have just asked around, though."

"Yeah, I can just imagine how that conversation would go," Harry laughed. "I think if I asked Ino, she would never let it go. She would want to know everything that's happened and wouldn't let me go until she had all that information. I'm sure with her being a shinobi that she has ways of getting it."

"She definitely does," Kakashi remarked in a way that Harry felt like he was missing something.

"Oh?" he asked. Kakashi nodded.

"The Yamanaka clan is known for their mind jutsus," Kakashi explained. "They can enter your mind and get information in that way."

Harry shivered. He really hoped that Ino would never attempt something like that with him. He already had enough troubles with people entering his mind. He had spent most of the past year with random visions of Voldemort attacking him. That didn't include the failed Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape that had ultimately resulted in Sirius's death.

"That's a nasty combination," he muttered, shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind. Kakashi gave him a questioning look. Harry grinned. "That ability and her need to gossip," he explained. Kakashi chuckled.

"Can we try it out?" Harry asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Try what out?" Kakashi asked. Harry blushed and couldn't bring himself to meet Kakashi's questioning eye.

"Us?" it came out as more of a question. "A relationship?"

Kakashi had to refrain from grinning widely. He had been hoping to hear something to that effect.

"Of course," he agreed. Harry's eyes flickered up to meet his in faint surprise. Despite the kiss, the wizard hadn't really expected an affirmative answer. As their eyes met, a silent exchange took place between the two. Kakashi's eyes narrowed in a questioning manner. Harry's head tilted to the side as he understood the unspoken question and he gave a tiny, hesitant nod and took a step closer to Kakashi. The grey-haired shinobi also stepped closer and pressed his lips against Harry.

This kiss was different from the first to Harry and it took him a moment to figure out why. Once he realized what was different, Harry pushed Kakashi away slightly. The older man gave him a confused look as Harry reached toward his face. The wizard lightly tugged the mask away before turning his face up towards Kakashi's. The jounin smiled before resuming the kiss.

"Kakashi-sensei?"


	14. Chapter 14

Harry pulled away in surprise. He had completely forgotten that they were outside where everyone could see. He felt a flutter of movement from Kakashi and turned his head to gaze at—his new boyfriend? It sounded so weird, even in his head.

Kakashi had pulled his mask back up, immediately upon hearing his students. Oh, they had been trained well. He had let down his guard, ever so briefly, and they had snuck up on him.

Harry flushed as three sets of eyes peered curiously at him—two blue and one green. One pair of blue eyes glittered in excitement. Harry groaned inwardly. Ino would never let this go. He was not looking forward to her interrogation the next time he had to drop off his products. Maybe he would consider hiring somebody to take his perfumes into the shop for him.

"Akago-kun?" Ino asked, a gleeful tone in her voice. Harry flushed even further.

"Hey, Ino-chan," he greeted the kunoichi.

"Hey! I know you!"

Harry jumped ever so slightly at the loudness of the voice and turned to face the other blue-eyed person. He faintly recognized the boy. They had had a conversation a few days ago, if he remembered right.

"You're that boy with no dream!"

Harry blinked as he stared down the boy. Yep, this was the same boy. He remembered that conversation. Harry sighed.

"We went over this," he grumbled. "It's not that I don't have a dream. It's just that I've already achieved my dream."

In this world, at least. Not in the wizarding world, though. Harry would never achieve his dream there.

Kakashi gave his new companion a sidelong glance. He would have to ask the green-eyed teen about that conversation and find out exactly what that dream was. He was slightly curious.

Naruto looked between Harry and Kakashi and his eyes narrowed. The next thing Harry knew, the blond-haired boy was right in front of his face.

"Why were you kissing Kakashi-sensei?" he asked. Before Harry could even open his mouth to reply, the blond-haired boy was on the ground, a nice bump forming on the top of his head.

"Naruto! You don't just ask people questions like that!" The third member of the trio admonished the blue-eyed boy. The green-eyed teen vaguely remembered her from the conversation he had had earlier with Naruto. That pink hair was pretty distinctive and not easily forgotten.

However, once Naruto had been considered admonished, the pink-haired girl turned to Harry and Kakashi.

"Why were you kissing, though?" she asked. Harry snorted in amusement. Classic. He decided not to say anything and let the older man explain. They were his students, after all. That much was apparent by the suffix they added on to his name.

Kakashi examined his two curious students. It was tempting to just take Akago and hide away but he knew that duty would call sooner or later. Just as he knew that all three of the shinobi in front of him were perfectly capable of finding him wherever he decided to hide. It was easier now to just answer the questions.

"Because that's what two people in a relationship do," he replied, as if speaking to someone dumb. Then again, one of the people he was talking to  _was_  Naruto, who wasn't the sharpest kunai around.

"When did this happen?" Ino inquired.

"Right before you interrupted us," Harry replied flatly.

"What are you doing in this part of the village, anyway?" Kakashi asked his students. "Aren't you supposed to be training?"

"Ino wanted to introduce us to her new friend," Sakura explained. Harry sighed. He knew who that friend was.

"Yo," he said, giving a small wave.

"This is Akago-kun," Ino began introductions. "He has the most amazing perfumes, though I doubt they'd help you, Billboard Brow."

Sakura glared at Ino.

"Shut it, Ino-pig," she growled. The two girls began to bicker. Kakashi and Harry traded looks. Kakashi smirked under his mask at just how eager Harry seemed to be anywhere but there. He could fix that.

Quickly, too quick for any of the other shinobi to notice, Kakashi reached down and grabbed Harry's hand. Harry glanced down in faint shock. Then, with the appropriate seal, there was a puff of smoke and the pair had disappeared.

As they reappeared a few streets away, Harry stumbled. Luckily, Kakashi's hand was still clasping Harry's and the masked man was easily able to steady the teenager.

"What was that?" Harry asked as he straightened up.

"A transportation jutsu," Kakashi replied. "Are you all right? I've heard that they can make civilians a bit nauseous."

Harry's stomach was rolling a tiny bit but it was nothing compared to the first time he had traveled by Portkey.

"I'm fine," he reassured the other man. "What's the plan?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Plan?" he asked. Harry nodded.

"Yeah. Didn't you have any plans for the day?" he asked. Kakashi shrugged.

"Not really," he replied. "Did you?"

Harry shook his head.

"Just to find you and demand some answers," he admitted.

"And did you get those answers?" Kakashi asked. Harry saw the corner of the man's lips twitch upward into a small smile.

"All but one," he replied playfully. Kakashi looked confused.

"What one?" he asked. Harry smiled.

"Why do you wear a mask?" he asked. "Doesn't it make certain activities difficult?"

Kakashi shrugged.

"I've learned to manage," he replied. "And I think it adds an air of mystery. Don't you?"

"Sort of," Harry said with a grin. "But the mystery is ruined for me. I've already seen what's under the mask."

Well, not really. But he had felt what was under the mask.

Kakashi's face was unreadable. Instead of lingering over that, Harry pressed the conversation forward.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. The shinobi shrugged but Harry heard the smallest grumbling of the stomach coming from the man.

"Are you?" Kakashi asked. Harry nodded.

"Let's get some food," he declared and, ever so tentatively, reached down and wrapped his hand around one of Kakashi's calloused ones. Instinctively Kakashi's hand tightened the grip.

"Okay," he agreed.


	15. Chapter 15

_A few months later_

Harry hummed to himself as he began to bottle up his newest perfumes. Bottling perfumes allowed for great reflection time, he had learned. And he had a lot to reflect upon.

Harry had been happier these past few months than he had been for the past few years. Hogwarts was great, he admitted, but he was always looking over his shoulder, wondering when Voldemort would strike again. Even when all was calm, Harry always had a feeling of dread in the wizarding world—a feeling that he didn't have in Konoha.

In Konoha, he could be himself without having to worry about being judged. In Konoha, he was just another civilian, not a hero for something he didn't even  _remember_. In Konoha, there was Kakashi.

Harry was beginning to realize that the longer he stayed in Konoha, the less he wanted to go back to the wizarding world. What had originally meant to be a short break had turned into something more. He had never meant to find anyone like Kakashi.

Harry sighed as he bottled yet another perfume. No matter where he went, things had to be complicated. Even when he tried to be normal, he just complicated things.

"Need help?"

Harry nearly dropped the bottle of perfume in his hand due to the fright. He spun around and whacked Kakashi lightly on the chest.

"Don't do that!" he admonished. "One of these days something is actually going to break!"

"Sorry," the shinobi apologized, though he didn't look repentant. Harry rolled his eyes affectionately and tugged Kakashi's mask off of his face.

"How was the mission?" he asked after he had greeted the man with a light peck on the lips.

"Boring," Kakashi replied. "And relatively calm."

"Relatively calm?" Harry asked.

"Our C-rank mission didn't suddenly become an A-rank mission," Kakashi explained. "As is usually the case when Naruto goes on missions."

Harry chuckled before shoving an armload of perfume bottles at Kakashi.

"Take these," he ordered. "I have to deliver them to the shop."

"This is more than you usually bring over," Kakashi mentioned, noticing the amount of bottles Harry had gathered. The wizard shrugged.

"I think Ino-san and her mother have been promoting them," he said. "Every time I go over to the shop to check on how well they're stocked, I always need to make some more because they're running out. Of course, I'm not complaining. I like being busy."

"You've never been one to sit around," Kakashi acknowledged. "You're always moving unless you're not sleeping. Even then, you still move around a lot."

Harry blushed a deep red. Kakashi had spent the night a few times and Harry was still easily embarrassed when it was casually brought up like Kakashi had just done. At least this time they were in private…

Kakashi chuckled.

"We're not supposed to get another mission that goes out of Konoha for a few days," he told Harry. "Do you want to get dinner tonight?"

"Sure," Harry agreed as he finished packing his perfumes in a basket that he used for transport. "As long as something else doesn't come up."

Kakashi grimaced. Quite a few times he had to cut their time together short because of an emergency summons from the Hokage. He shuffled the bottles in his arms around so he could pull up his mask before leaving the small apartment.

As the couple walked down the streets of Konoha, Harry waved to a few other civilians here and there. They were people he knew from buying his supplies or that he had run into at the Yamanaka's shop. There were also a few shinobi that he recognized, mostly due to Ino and Kakashi. Harry tried not to linger on the fact that he seemed to know more shinobi than civilians.

"Akago-kun! Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hey Ino-san," Harry greeted as he and Kakashi walked into the Yamanaka shop. Ino gave a heavy sigh.

"You know you can call me Ino, right?" she asked him. "Or Ino-chan at the very least?"

Harry nodded and grinned impishly.

"Did you ever consider that I call you Ino-san just to annoy you?" he asked the girl, who scowled.

"Of course," she grumbled. "You  _would_  do something like that. How do you put up with it, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked faintly surprised that Ino had directly asked him a question. He set down the perfume bottle he was carrying next to Harry's basket.

"He only does it to you, Ino-chan," he informed the kunoichi, who glared in Harry's direction. The green-eyed teenager merely shrugged. He wasn't sure why but it was fun to annoy Ino. Maybe it was because he knew that she wouldn't actually  _do_  anything to him in retaliation. Or maybe it was payback for the first couple of weeks, when she had tried to constantly set him up on dates. Or maybe it was a combination of both.

Yeah, it was definitely a combination of both, Harry thought to himself.

"Try to keep these in stock for at least a week," Harry warned, smiling as he did so. He doubted that it was possible but he couldn't complain. Making perfumes kept him busy and brought in a decent sum of money. He wasn't becoming overly wealthy from the occupation but he definitely had enough to live on.

"See you later!" Ino called as the pair walked out of the shop.

"What do you want to do now?" Harry asked, looking around the busy streets.

"A new caravan came in last night," Kakashi mentioned. "DO you want to go searching for new ideas?"

"You don't mind?" Harry asked. Kakashi shrugged.

"Not at all," he informed the younger male. "I like looking at the wares."

Harry gave the gray-haired man a small smile.

"Let's go then," he said.

When Harry and Kakashi had first started dating, they had received a couple of strange looks from people on the street. However, no one looked twice at the sight of the pair now. Their relationship was old news in Konoha. Now, most of the citizens of the village, shinobi and civilian alike, were amused by the blooming romance between Ino's teammate, Shikamaru, and the representative the Village of the Sand sent, Temari.

Harry's eyes widened as they approached the place where the caravan had set up. This was definitely one of the larger caravans, he determined. There were enough stalls set up on the street that Harry was sure that he could call it a village all on its own. The green-eyed teenager immediately picked up his pace, much to Kakashi's amusement.

"What do you think about this combination?" Harry asked some time later, holding up a group of herbs and practically shoving them in Kakashi's nose. Kakashi pushed them away before taking a delicate sniff. The shinobi debated for a few seconds before wrinkling his nose.

"Something's off," he informed the perfume maker, who regarded the herbs carefully before putting them away with a sigh.

"It's getting harder to come up with ideas," he admitted.

"Have you considered going to a tea shop?" Kakashi asked. Harry shook his head but his eyes brightened at the idea.

"Should we go to one for lunch?" he asked. Kakashi was about to agree when he felt a familiar presence appear behind him.

"One moment," he said with a sigh and turned to face the newcomer. It was an ANBU shinobi. Harry sighed internally at the sight of the masked shinobi. That meant Kakashi was being summoned, most likely. He was getting used to Kakashi having to take off in the middle of a date. It was a consequence of dating a shinobi, he had learned.

"There's been a development," the ANBU informed Kakashi. "You're needed by the Hokage right away."

Kakashi nodded curtly. As the ANBU shinobi darted away, he looked apologetically over at Harry.

"Go on," Harry said. "Don't make the Hokage wait. I'll be fine on my own."

"I'm sorry," Kakashi apologized. Harry gave a humorless chuckle.

"You're a shinobi," he said. "I'm used to it by now. You owe me lunch and dinner though."

Kakashi sighed and bent down to give Harry a quick peck on the lips.

"Agreed," he said, before leaping away. Harry sighed to himself as the gray-haired shinobi dashed out of sight, before going back to examine the herbs in front of him. After a few minutes, Harry left the stall. He wasn't nearly as excited to be shopping as he had been with Kakashi beside him.

Harry strolled down the street, glancing here and there at stalls in a bored manner, hands shoved in his pockets.

He didn't feel the eyes that watched him go.


	16. Chapter 16

Harry let out a startled yelp as he felt a hand grip his shoulder. His magic flared up instinctively and it took every bit of self-control the teenage wizard had to not send the other person flying. It would involve too much explaining if anyone happened to see. He had barely been able to explain the whole thestral situation.

Harry took a deep breath to steady himself and turned to face the person gripping his shoulder. He recognized the white mask immediately.

ANBU.

"IS there something you want, Anbu-san?" Harry asked quietly, trying to get his magic back under control. It was still fluctuating wildly.

"The Konoha Council wishes to talk to you," the masked shinobi replied. "I'm to take you to them."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He had heard of the Konoha Council but most of it was just rumor. The only facts he knew was that it was made up of a woman named Koharu Utatane and a man named Homura Mitokado and that they were councilors of the Hokage.

"Why?" he asked. He hadn't done anything wrong, as far as he knew. Didn't the Council deal more with shinobi matters and the protection of the village?

"You will find out when you meet with them," the Anbu replied. Harry sighed. He wished that Kakashi hadn't left. The gray-haired shinobi would have had a better idea of what was going on.

"Fine," Harry agreed, not seeing any other choice available for him. One couldn't say no to the Council, after all. Not without being deemed a safety risk, at least. The shinobi gave a curt nod and started to walk away, motioning for Harry to follow him. Within a matter of minutes, Harry was standing before the Council.

"Utatane-san, Mitokado-san," Harry said with a small bow. It had taken him a while to get used to the customs of Konoha but now bowing was practically second nature to him.

"Hiru-san," Koharu responded. "We hope we haven't taken you away from something important. We just have a few questions to ask you."

Harry shifted from foot to foot nervously. Questions? Had they found discrepancies in his background story? He knew that it wasn't the best of stories due to its vagueness, but it was enough that most people were satisfied with the basic details. He had never thought about someone actually looking into his history.

"Questions? About what?" he asked.

"You've come to our attention recently," Homura said. "It's not often that a civilian comes to our village and becomes as well known as you have in just a matter of months. It's ever rarer for a civilian to become involved with a shinobi. Normally civilians try to stay as far away from shinobi as possible."

Harry shrugged.

"I'm just lucky," he said. "I didn't expect to become as well-known as I have. In fact, I'd rather have not."

"You didn't want to gain recognition?" Koharu asked. Harry shook his head.

"From what I've seen, it just makes life harder," he said, adopting a bitter tone to his voice. "Everyone expects something from you and eventually the lines between what you want and what others want from you are blurred so much that you can't tell the difference between the two."

"Sounds like you know from experience."

Harry took a deep breath.

"I've seen it happen a time or two," he admitted. "I never wanted it to happen to myself, though apparently it's starting to. Why else would you want to talk with me, an ordinary civilian?"

"Like we said, it's rare for a civilian to become involved with a shinobi. Especially one that wasn't born in Konoha."

"You want to know if I'm planning on using the information I can learn from Kakashi to the advantage of another shinobi village," Harry said flatly. He didn't give time for the elders to respond. "Don't worry. I haven't learned anything worth sharing. I've made it clear to Kakashi that I don't want to know about his missions or what he does as a shinobi. I've seen what war and fighting does and I don't want to have any part of it."

The two Council members eyed the teenager curiously. His reaction wasn't at all what they were expecting. Most civilians would be panicking as soon as they were faced with the Council members. This boy wasn't just an ordinary civilian. Through their sharpened eyes and astute observations, the Council members could clearly infer that this boy had seen war. It wasn't uncommon in their country as the shinobi villages were constantly vying for power but the two Council members were beginning to doubt that Hiru Akago even came from the Elemental Countries. He certainly didn't look like he had been born in the Land of Tea. There was no physical resemblance, with the exception of the dark hair.

"Can I go now?" Harry asked after the two Council members were silent for a few moments. "I have products that need attending to."

When he didn't receive an answer, Harry assumed that he was free to go. He left silently and it wasn't until he was locked inside his apartment when the tension and anxiousness inside him fled completely.

The two Council members watched him go before trading looks. No words needed to be said.

Hiru Akago would be watched closely until more information on him could be gathered. They needed to ensure that he wasn't a threat to Konoha.


	17. Chapter 17

Harry was mentally preparing to leave Konoha. He had become too noticed and he had become too attached. What originally was supposed to be a break from the wizarding world had become his new life and that was the last thing that he wanted. There were only two problems.

The first and most troubling was that Harry didn't know how to get back to the wizarding world. The wizard had originally found Konoha through the help of his guardian and she hadn't been seen for a few weeks now. Harry had no idea if she was still on her mission or if she had been killed. All he knew is that she wasn't in Konoha because Yūgao would have let him know somehow. Since she wasn't back, Harry was left with trying to find his own way back to Hogwarts and the wizarding world.

The second problem was Kakashi. Harry knew the shinobi wouldn't let him leave Konoha without a fight and Harry wasn't sure if he could leave his lover. Kakashi's arms were the first place he had truly felt safe in Konoha and he didn't want to throw away the shinobi's affection. So once Harry figured out a way to get back home, he had to arrange his plans carefully so Kakashi wouldn't become suspicious.

Easier said than done. Harry had never been particularly good at hiding his emotions, especially from those that were trained in reading body language like most shinobi were.

For the meantime, Harry tried to act like things were perfectly normal.

Unfortunately for the green-eyed perfume maker, Hatake Kakashi knew something was up. He knew that something had happened when he had been called away by the Hokage a few weeks ago. His younger lover had done his best to pretend that nothing happened but he was more skittish than normal. He was also slowly condensing everything, like he was preparing to pack in a hurry. The things Kakashi left at his apartment remained untouched but it was nearly impossible to not notice that things would go missing, only to end up in drawers or bags. There was also less food in the apartment and the perfume maker wasn't buying the same amount of supplies that he had bought in the past.

Kakashi was loath to bring anything up. Instead, he tried to ignore what was happening. He tried to ignore the possibility that his companion for the past few weeks was preparing to leave and most likely never return. He would ignore it until he no longer could.

The turning point came when Kakashi noticed the recently acquired books pushed under the bed.

"Akago?" he called, pulling them out and examining the titles.  _Foreign Travels for the Average Civilian_ was the first title he read and a bunch of the books looked to hold maps, drawn by shinobi that marked the quickest routes to get from place to place.

"Yes?" Harry asked, poking his head in the doorway to see what Kakashi wanted. He saw the books and maps in the shinobi's hands and paled slightly, which Kakashi noticed immediately.

"Planning to take a trip?" Kakashi asked dryly. Harry tensed up and he averted his eyes from the older shinobi.

"I figured I should go home eventually," he admitted after a few moments of silence. "I still have some unfinished business there."

Kakashi sighed. He didn't like the sound of that. Unfinished business?

"If it's revenge related, I wouldn't recommend it," he said quietly. "I've seen what revenge does to people and trust me when I say that most often they end up dead or just as unhappy as they were before.

"It's not revenge!" Harry said quickly, eyes widening at the thought. "I promise you, it's really not. It's just…" The civilian trailed off and kicked his foot against the floor nervously. "I feel like I need to go back," he said quietly. "I don't have a reason. It's just a feeling."

Actually he had several reasons. He just didn't want to say them out loud. If he did, Kakashi would either deem him insane or a threat to Konoha and Harry didn't want either of those things to happen.

"So you were planning on leaving and never coming back?" Kakashi asked. Harry shrugged.

"I'd want to come back," he said. "I just don't know if I could or would be able to."

"Why wouldn't you be able to?" Kakashi asked. Harry froze at his near slip.

"My home is very far from here," he said slowly. "Not many civilians make the journey once, let alone multiple times."

"The Land of Tea," Kakashi started to say but Harry shook his head.

"The Land of Tea you're thinking of and the one I'm thinking of are two very different places," he informed the shinobi. Kakashi nodded. He had already suspected as much. He had been to the Land of Tea before and had noticed how different the teenager looked from the other civilians that lived there.

"So you were just going to leave without telling anyone?" Kakashi asked. Harry sighed.

"I figured that it would be the easiest way," he admitted. "Less painful for everyone that way, or so I've learned in the past."

"Ino would be mad," Kakashi said, trying to make his voice sound light. Harry rolled his eyes.

"She'd get over it. How would you have felt if that had happened?" Harry watched Kakashi closely, knowing that the shinobi wouldn't reveal everything that he was feeling.

"Confused," Kakashi admitted. "Possibly angry, but eventually I would understand. I'd have probably done the same thing in your position. When are you leaving?"

There it was. The big question and the one question that Harry didn't have an answer to.

"I don't know yet," he said. "I'm still trying to figure out how to get home." Kakashi nodded. He had already decided that he wouldn't push for too many details. That would just make it hurt harder in the end. Kakashi set the books and maps on the bed.

"I'll let you go but I just have one request," he said. "Let me know when you're leaving."

Harry nodded. He could do that.


	18. Chapter 18

Harry's answer to going back to England came a few weeks later. He was surprised that it hadn't come to him before.

The thestral.

It had found him once before, so why couldn't it find him again? And why couldn't it take him back home? Granted, Harry wasn't looking forward to a potentially long ride on a thestral's back but he was sure anything could be better than what Yūgao had done to get him to Konoha.

Harry's stomach had been rolling for days after her transportation jutsu.

Once Harry had remembered the thestral, he ran into his next problem—how to bring the thestral to him. He could only hope that his friends would send another thestral to check on him eventually or that they would know to come fetch him.

In other words, he just needed to be lucky.

For once, he was glad that he was Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, considered by some to be the luckiest teenager in the world for surviving everything that he had been through. Harry Potter had a lot of luck on his side.

He just wasn't sure if Hiru Akago had the same amount of luck.

Nearly a week after hoping for a thestral, Pakkun came looking for Harry as he was shopping for some basic groceries. Harry looked at the ninken in surprise.

"He says you should come as soon as you can," the ninken spoke quickly. "And that you should bring anything you want to travel with. There's a giant winged horse-like creature with him, so I'd be careful." Harry's eyes widened and he nodded.

"Where are they at?" he asked Pakkun.

"The forty-fourth training ground," the ninken replied. Harry nodded again.

"Thank you!" he called back to Pakkun as he quickly walked back the way he came. Thankfully his apartment wasn't too far away. Packing hopefully wouldn't take too long. Once Kakashi had discovered that Harry was planning on leaving, the wizard had been more open about his packing. As it was, the only things he hadn't packed up in the apartment were the everyday essentials and his perfumery materials. The perfumery stuff he could leave behind. Kakashi or Ino would take care of those.

Grabbing his sack and giving the apartment one last glance, Harry mentally said his goodbyes. He was going to miss this place. He had actually felt like a normal person most of the time. He couldn't say that about anywhere in the wizarding world.

Kakashi was standing by the thestral when Harry came into view. Apparently he was one of the few brave enough to try and touch the thestral. Currently the shinobi was running his fingers over the skeletal form.

If Kakashi was surprised by how fast Harry came running, he didn't reveal anything through words or actions. If Harry didn't know the man any better, he could have guessed that this was just another mission; that Kakashi didn't care. But Harry was one of the few that knew better. The truth was that Kakashi cared. A lot.

"Time to go?" Kakashi asked, eyes dark. Harry gave a tiny nod and felt his throat tightening.

"I'll miss you," he said, blinking quickly as his eyes began to water. "You already know that I don't know if I'll be coming back." Kakashi gave a curt nod, not trusting himself to speak. They had only known each other for a few months, but Kakashi had grown to care for the green-eyed civilian more than he had cared for anyone before. More than Obito and Rin. More than Naruto and his family.

With trembling hands, Harry reached out to the man. Obeying the silent request, Kakashi stepped away from the thestral and toward Harry. The green-eyed teen pulled down the trademark mask for one last time and traced Kakashi's face with light, shaking fingers.

Unable to stand the tenseness, Kakashi took another step forward and firmly planted his lips on Harry's, clinging to the teen tightly. The smaller of the two wrapped his arms around the shinobi and Kakashi deepened the kiss. It was forceful, passionate, and brief. By the time they could bring themselves to pull away, tears were streaming down Harry's cheeks.

"Safe travels," Kakashi wished his now former lover. Harry nodded and stepped toward the thestral, who trilled softly in a mournful way. Harry mounted the thestral and glanced at Kakashi, whose face had returned to its emotionless state.

"Stay safe," he ordered. "Try to live a full life and hopefully a long one." There were no guarantees about that seeing as Kakashi was a shinobi and constantly in danger but Harry could hope.

"I'm a shinobi," Kakashi replied stiffly. "You'll have to manage that for both of us."

Harry's throat tightened. He knew that he couldn't make that promise.

"I don't know if I'll be able to," he admitted softly. "There's a war going on where I'm going."

A brief flicker of pain crossed through Kakashi's eyes.

"Live well," he ordered. Harry nodded and nudged the thestral with his heels. Its wings began to flap at the silent order and the pair took to the air. From the ground, submerged in shadows, a gray-haired shinobi watched and pulled up his mask.

"Grimmauld Place," Harry ordered the thestral quietly. He knew that Hogwarts would probably not be the safest place anymore. Not even if Dumbledore was still in charge, which wasn't a guarantee. Nothing was a guarantee in war.

As the wizard and the thestral flew off into the night, Harry didn't look back at Konoha's bright lights. He knew that if he did, he would want to turn around, to return to the place that had made him fully happy for the first time in years.

But he knew he couldn't go back. Maybe years from now, in the future, but that would mean Harry would have to survive the oncoming war.

When the thestral landed on the doorstep of 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry slipped from its back and collapsed against the door, exhausted and unable to muster the energy to even knock. Instead, his eyes drooped forward. Trilling softly, the thestral stood guard over the green-eyed teen for the rest of the night until a member of the Order of the Phoenix discovered the unconscious boy.


	19. Chapter 19

"All Muggleborns have been required to report themselves to the Ministry of Magic, where they undergo hearings and are usually imprisoned for 'stealing' a witch's or wizard's wand." Remus Lupin explained to Harry, who was trying to catch up on everything that happened while he had been away.

The toll count was lower than expected. Emmeline Vance, Arabella Figg, and surprisingly, Dumbledore were the only three on the list. Harry had only met Emmeline Vance once but his heart hurt for Mrs. Figg and Dumbledore. Of all the deaths he had been preparing for, it definitely wasn't for theirs. Harry mourned like a shinobi would—quietly and briefly. There would be time for proper mourning after the war.

For the most part, the Boy-Who-Lived had been able to fend off or deflect any questions that pertained to the period of his absence from the wizarding world. Most of the Order of the Phoenix assumed that he had been traveling, searching for new ways to destroy Voldemort. Harry hadn't bothered to correct them.

Things had definitely changed since Harry had left. The Order members all wore haunted looks, looks Harry recognized instantaneously. He had seen them before, on shinobi returning home from gruesome missions. Kakashi had often worn that look when he thought that Harry wasn't looking. It was the face of battle; it was the expression of war.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had been kept away from Hogwarts for the year. Snape had become the headmaster of the school and there were known Death Eaters teaching some of the classes. Molly and Arthur Weasley had expected this and instead of sending their children into dangerous conditions, where they would be targeted for being friends of Harry Potter, they had decided to keep them at Grimmauld Place.

Harry wasn't sure how to react around his friends nowadays. Hermione was determined to find out where Harry had gone and what he had done, but Harry wasn't ready to divulge that information. Ron could sense the changes in his friend and didn't know how to act around the teen. As a result, the two were constantly tiptoeing around each other. There were moments when their old relationship would rekindle and they would share a laugh or two but those moments were fleeting.

"What else?" Harry asked, rubbing his scar, which had been paining him ever since he had gotten back to England. At times, the pain was enough to make him long for Konoha.

"Snape is still in charge of Hogwarts," Remus said quietly. "Professor McGonagall is still there to look out for the students, particularly those that are known to sympathize with you, but she can't do much. Every day we get new reports of those who have gone missing or an attack on Muggles that can only be from Death Eaters."

Harry gave a curt nod. He knew that he should have been reacting more to the news that Remus presented to him but he was numb. He didn't know how to react. Before he would have been demanding to do something instead of sitting in Grimmauld Place but now…

Now he realized that acting rashly was never the best idea, especially when he came to war. The best course of action for the Order of the Phoenix right now was to lay low and collect information. There were very few battles they could win without the right information.

However, collecting information was a difficult task. No one could find what where Voldemort had made his base, so they couldn't implant a spy there. Their only spy was now in charge of Hogwarts and his true allegiance was completely clear. Harry highly doubted that Voldemort would have left Snape in charge of Hogwarts if the Dark Lord wasn't sure where Snape's loyalty lied.

Harry pushed away from the table, continuing to rub his scar. Remus gave him a concerned look. Ever since the boy had come back, he had been quiet and withdrawn. It was a side of Harry Potter that the werewolf hadn't seen all too often before the green-eyed wizard had gone missing.

Harry quickly left the room and made his way up the stairs to his bedroom. He didn't notice that he had passed Ginny on his way. The ginger-haired girl turned, as if she wanted to follow him, but decided not to.

Once in his bedroom, Harry shut the door behind him and locked it. He let out a deep sigh of relief and approached his wardrobe. One of the first things he had done once he had recovered had been to sneak supplies out of the kitchen and resume his perfume making. He longed for some memories of Konoha and perfume making had become soothing to the Boy-Who-Lived.

Pulling out a small box of vials, Harry popped one open and took a quick sniff. Things were moving along nicely. Replacing the vial in the box, Harry brought it over to his bed. He set the box on the nightstand before promptly collapsing on his bed, exhausted. No one had ever described the mental strain of war.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yūgao slipped into the shadows as yet another Death Eater rounded the corner. She stifled her breaths and froze in place so she wouldn't be noticed. For the past few weeks, she had been collecting information and protecting the Malfoy heir as a mission and now it was time to leave.

However, she wasn't leaving Draco behind. The blond wouldn't survive for long if she did. Beside, he had seen enough of this side of war.

Thankfully, Yūgao knew where to take the youngest Malfoy.

Once the Death Eaters had passed, Yūgao continued on. She was light-footed as she moved quickly down the halls, only pausing to make sure she wouldn't come across anyone as she turned a corner. The kunoichi took a deep breath as she reached Draco Malfoy's room and slipped inside.

Draco was sleeping but he jolted awake as Yūgao rested a hand on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" he asked quietly.

"I'm getting you out of here," Yūgao replied, just as quiet. "Now let's go. Don't take anything besides a robe, cloak, and shoes. It could have tracking charms on it. First chance you get, get some new clothes and dispose of the old ones."

Draco nodded as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"How are we getting out?" he asked as he pulled on a robe. "We can't apparate out and the Floo is being monitored."

"My way," Yūgao replied. "Until we get to an apparition point."

The pair moved quickly. Yūgao had placed a henge over herself and Draco so they would appear to be normal Death Eaters. With the henge, it was easy enough to get out of Malfoy Manor but getting off the Manor's grounds proved to be more difficult. There were only a few apparition points on the grounds and all were closely monitored. It would be seen as suspicious to merely walk off the Manor grounds instead of leaving through the apparition points and Yūgao had no doubt that they would immediately be attacked if they attempted to do so.

Yūgao led Draco to the apparition point that was furthest from the Manor. The blond gave her a worried look. He wasn't sure how the shinobi was going to pull this off.

The kunoichi pressed a slip of paper in Draco's hand.

"Don't read it until you've reached somewhere safe. It'll tell you where you should go," she whispered. "When you see your chance, take it and don't look back. Don't wait for me."

Draco's eyes widened as he understood what Yūgao was trying to tell him.

"I thought you said that one should never leave their teammates behind," he said. Yūgao gave him a tight-lipped smile.

"But I've never been your teammate," she reminded the younger wizard. "Therefore it shouldn't matter if you leave me behind."

Draco had no time to reply, as Yūgao had slipped away once she finished speaking.

There were three Death Eaters guarding the apparition point. Yūgao was able to take out one with a shuriken but unfortunately the Death Eater let out a grunt of shock and pain before he died. His grunt drew the other two's attention.

"Sound the alarm," one hissed as he began shooting spells in random directions. His partner lifted his wand and sent out red sparks before a shuriken pierced his throat.

Draco cursed silently as the red sparks brightened the air. Now reinforcements were on their way. He would have to move quickly.

Yūgao made quick work of the last Death Eater guarding the apparition point and gestured for Draco to move. As Draco reached the apparition point, he gave one last glance toward Yūgao, who was facing the Manor, eyes on the approaching reinforcements. Her words rang in his head.

" _If you see your chance, take it and don't look back._ "

"Good luck," Draco said, before apparating away.


	20. Chapter 20

Draco apparated to a small wizarding café in Cardiff. It took several stops so he could throw any Death Eaters following him off his trail but eventually the blond wizard reached his destination.

The young Malfoy stood across the street from the café and pulled out the slip of paper Yūgao had given him. There were four words shakily scratched on the piece of paper.

_Number 12, Grimmauld Place_

Draco sighed. He had to go back to London. He had hoped that Yūgao would direct him to a place outside of London, possibly even her home, but she was placing him in the middle of war zone.

It seemed that Draco wasn't completely out of the war yet.

It was best to get the trip over with. Death Eaters would still be trying to follow him and, if they were on his trail, they would be outside of London. The faster Draco moved, the better chance he had of making it to the address Yūgao had provided.

With a wave of his wand, Draco was on the move again.

At first, Draco couldn't see Number 12, Grimmauld Place but as he glanced from the piece of paper to the spot between Numbers 11 and 13, the house began to show itself.

"A Fidelius Charm," Draco whispered to himself. It was quite genius, actually, but the young wizard couldn't imagine the amount of spellwork that went into hiding the house.

Looking around, Draco didn't see anyone else on the street. Good. He took a step toward the house.

Once he stood on the doorstep to Number 12, Draco released a shaky breath. He had no idea what lay on the other side. He could only hope that it was nothing or no one that would attack him before he had a chance to explain. Draco's hand slid into his pocket to grasp his wand nervously but his hand came in contact with something else.

Draco withdrew the item and examined it. It was a small scroll.

There was only one person he knew that would give Draco a scroll. Yūgao. Draco hadn't felt her slip it into his pocket but he shouldn't have been surprised. She was a shinobi, after all.

Feeling slightly more confident and clutching Yūgao's scroll, Draco raised a hand and knocked on the door. On the other side, he could hear approaching footsteps.

The blond wizard shivered as a red-haired woman opened the door. He could immediately recognize her as Weasley's mother. His mind raced furiously. What could he say? What reason could he give for being here, when he probably wasn't supposed to know the address.

Then it came to him.

"I have a message for Potter," he said quickly before the woman could ask any questions. "It's urgent. It involves—"Draco cut himself off. It wouldn't look good to call Voldemort the Dark Lord. Not in this company. "You-Know-Who," he finished.

Weasley's mother nodded curtly and ushered Draco inside the house and into a sitting room.

"Don't move," she ordered him before leaving the room. Draco fidgeted nervously. He hoped that no one would walk in here before he had a chance to talk to Harry. He didn't want to be attacked.

Thankfully the next time someone entered the room, it was the one and only Boy-Who-Lived.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Potter asked, tilting his head. There was no real hostility in his voice, just curiosity. "How did you find this place?"

"Yūgao," Draco said simply. Harry's eyes widened in disbelief and surprise. He turned to the red-haired woman.

"I'm fine here, Mrs. Weasley," Harry informed her. "Beside, I think Malfoy would like to talk to me alone."

The woman nodded suspiciously but left the room. Harry turned back to Draco.

"How do you know Yūgao?" Harry asked once they were alone.

"She's been taking care of me occasionally since I was a child," Draco replied. "Something about a mission, though she never said who gave her the mission."

"You and me both," Harry muttered. "You said you had a message for me about Voldemort?"

Draco instinctively flinched at the name.

"Sorry," Harry apologized but he didn't correct himself.

"He and his inner circle of Death Eaters have been staying at the Malfoy Manor," Draco said. "I would have gone to Hogwarts but my parents wanted me to become a Death Eater instead."

"Did you take the Dark Mark?" Harry asked sharply. Draco shook his head.

"My mother insisted on waiting until I turned seventeen," he said. "But staying home gave them more time to acquaint myself with how a Death Eater should act."

"Anything else?" Harry asked. It wasn't much information and he suspected that Draco knew more. It would have been impossible to know nothing when living in the same house as Voldemort.

"Yūgao impersonated a Death Eater at times," Draco said. "I think the information she dug up is on this scroll."

He held up the scroll. Harry gave it a curious look.

"Where is she now?" he asked. "Why isn't she with you?"

Draco couldn't look Harry in the eyes. Knowing Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived probably had considered her family.

"When we left, she made me leave her behind," he said. "I don't think she was expecting to leave the Manor alive."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and nodded once. It sounded like something she would do. After a minute, his brief allowance for grieving had passed.

"I didn't want to," Draco said quickly. "And there is a chance that she could have escaped."

"But there's also a chance that she's dead or being tortured," Harry pointed out. "However, she was a shinobi and probably knew that there was always that risk, no matter what mission she took."

Draco nodded in agreement. Harry glanced at the scroll again.

"Can I see that?" he asked. The Slytherin nodded and handed Harry the scroll.

"What is this place?" Draco asked as Harry unrolled the scroll. The Gryffindor gave a wry grin.

"Number 12, Grimmauld Place," he said. Draco rolled his eyes.

"But what's so important about it?" he asked.

"It's the Order of the Phoenix," Harry said.


	21. Chapter 21

Harry read the scroll once. Then he read it three more times, not believing what he was reading.

Yūgao had written about something called horcruxes. The word was ominous and the description was horrifying. Did she really believe Voldemort had split his soul?

She apparently did, because there was a list of objects that she believed were possible horcruxes.

_Diary—destroyed by basilisk fang in wizarding year of 1992. Present at time. Multiple other fangs obtained at time for future use._

_Gaunt Ring—destroyed by Albus Dumbledore with basilisk fang in the wizarding year of 1996_

_Locket of Salazar Slytherin—found in Number 12, Grimmauld place in house-elf's possession. Destroyed by self with basilisk fang in the wizarding year of 1995_

_Cup of Helga Hufflepuff—stolen from a vault of one Bellatrix Lestrange. Destroyed by self with basilisk fang in the wizarding year of 1995_

_Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw—found in Room of Requirement in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Destroyed by self with basilisk fang in the wizarding year of 1996._

_Nagini—still alive. Snake companion to Tom Riddle, Jr._

_Harry Potter—still alive and under careful watch. Currently in Konoha._

Harry shivered. He was a horcrux? Was that the reason he had lived when Voldemort had tried to kill him as an infant. He continued reading.

_Other possible ways to destroy a horcrux include fiendfyre and what wizards call "The Killing Curse"._

_Battle between the two sides seems to be inevitable. Tom Riddle, Jr.'s side seems to be the most active while Albus Dumbledore's side waits for the reappearance of Harry Potter. Riddle's side has the advantage in numbers but if the location of the battle is chosen carefully and if Riddle is terminated early on, Dumbledore's side stands a chance of winning._

_Konoha is to be contacted when date of battle is known. Due to the similarity between Riddle and Orochimaru, siding with Albus Dumbledore is highly recommended._

"What is it?" Draco asked when Harry was finished reading.

"A report," Harry guessed. "To whomever gave her the mission."

"Is it helpful?" Draco asked anxiously. If it wasn't, he would have no reason to stay here.

"Very," Harry said, rolling up the scroll. He was still shaken from finding out that he was part of the reason that Voldemort was still alive. Did Voldemort know that Harry was a horcrux? What would he do if he found out?

"What now?" Draco asked, looking around nervously.

"I'm going to give the order this information and copy it. I'll try to convince the Order to let you stay here, if you want me to." Harry gave the Slytherin a questioning look. Draco gave a reluctant nod. He couldn't think of anywhere safer to be, even though it was with people who didn't like him. Hogwarts wasn't safe right now.

It was difficult to convince the Order of the Phoenix to allow Draco to stay in Grimmauld Place. Harry had expected it to be difficult but he hadn't imagined how frustrating it would be to get some people to look past Draco's last name.

During the argument, Draco gained a surprising ally. Molly Weasley had sided with Harry and believed that Draco should be allowed to stay at Grimmauld Place. Her children and husband were stunned at her attitude but later Hermione told Harry that she suspected Molly's mothering instincts had kicked in. Having seen Draco when he first arrived at Grimmauld Place, looking desperate, lost, and terrified, Molly had subconsciously taken the boy under her wing.

Once it was clear that Molly Weasley wanted Draco Malfoy to stay, Draco slowly gained more support among the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Remus Lupin admitted that he was willing to give the blond a second chance and Arthur Weasley would support his wife.

Ron and Ginny were furious when the adults announced that Draco would be staying in Grimmauld Place over four hours later. Harry didn't doubt that Ron would see his support for Draco to stay as a betrayal of their friendship. The Boy-Who-Lived suspected that they probably wouldn't be able to fix their friendship after this but he found that he wasn't particularly sad about the thought. Sure, he and Ron had been friends but sometimes people moved on from their old friends and made new ones. Ron was a friend from Hogwarts but Harry was beginning to doubt that he would ever return to Hogwarts for school.

Harry watched as Draco settled into his room, The green-eyed wizard fingered Yūgao's scroll carefully. He would copy the contents tonight and deliver the information to the Order in the morning but for now, Harry wanted to hold on to the last physical reminder of the kunoichi who had guarded him since he was a child.

Of the many mysteries that surrounded Yūgao, there was only one that Harry wanted to know the answer. Who was the one that Yūgao was reporting to?

"Did she ever tell you?" Harry heard himself asking Draco.

"Did who ever tell me what, Potter?" Draco asked stiffly.

"Did Yūgao ever tell you who gave her the mission to protect you?" Harry suspected that the same person who paid the kunoichi to guard Draco was also the person who paid her to protect Harry.

Draco shook his head.

"Never," he said. "I asked many times but she always said that it wasn't important. I always hoped that it was my parents but I knew deep down that they wouldn't care that much about me. She never told you?"

Harry sighed sadly.

"No," he admitted. "I only asked once and when she didn't tell me, I never asked again."

Draco rolled his eyes. Typical Gryffindor. Harry sighed again.

"I'll let you settle in," he said. "Mrs. Weasley will probably drag us down to breakfast in a few hours and I'd like to get some sleep before then."

Draco glanced out the window. Was it really so early? Was it dawn already?

"No one's going to attack me while I sleep?" Draco asked, trying to sound his normal cocky and confident self. Harry gave him a small smile.

"It may not seem like it right now but you're safe here," he told Draco. Draco didn't believe him.


	22. Chapter 22

Life in Number 12, Grimmauld Place was tense for the next few weeks. Ron refused to be in the same room as Draco, even for meals. It frustrated Harry that his old friend couldn't move on from the past but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it. Instead, he left Ron alone. At times he missed the red-head's company but those times were brief and rare.

Most of the time, Draco remained to himself, choosing to shut himself in his room. He never fully relaxed at Grimmauld Place and Harry could never fully convince the blond that he was safe. It wasn't surprising. The war had taken its toll on the Slytherin. Draco, living under the same roof as Voldemort, had probably witnessed horrors that would surpass even Harry's worst nightmares.

The night after Draco arrived at Grimmauld Place, Harry presented the information about the horcruxes to the Order of the Phoenix. Their reaction was grim. Only one question was asked about Harry's source of information.

"Who did you get this from?" Remus had asked, looking at the shaky handwriting and strange phrasing of the scroll. Wizarding year? Then there was the fact that it was written on a scroll instead of parchment. It was obvious from those few details alone that the writer was foreign.

"From someone I would trust with my life," Harry said simply. Remus and the other Order members searched Harry's face. Something in his expression must have convinced them as no further questions had been asked.

Once all the information had been given to the Order of the Phoenix, Harry was content to let the adults do the planning. It was slower than he would have liked but he was reluctant to take charge. He knew that the others expected more out of him but Harry couldn't bring himself to act like he would have.

For nearly a week, the location of the final battle was discussed. Harry knew that just the sight of him would bring Voldemort and his followers to wherever he was. His appearance would be the cue for both sides.

Harry tuned out most of the arguments. As the war dragged on, he found it harder to bring himself to care. He realized people were dying but he was no warrior. His time in Konoha had proven that.

Only one person noticed Harry's growing disconnect with the war.

"What's on your mind, Potter?" Draco Malfoy asked as Harry entered the study where Draco had been reading and trying to avoid the Order members. Harry shrugged and Draco rolled his grey eyes.

Harry sat down in an armchair that faced Draco, who shut his book. He suspected that the Boy-Who-Lived wanted a conversation and Draco would be forced to take part. They weren't quite school rivals like they had been in the past but they weren't exactly friends. With their undefined relationship and uneasy truce, Draco wondered why Harry wanted to speak with him.

"Is there always so much waiting?" Harry found himself asking. Draco shrugged.

"I couldn't tell you. This is my first war," he pointed out. "Wouldn't someone else be better for this discussion?"

"But no one would really understand. You're the closest one that could understand how it is when people groom you for a position from a young age."

Draco nodded. His parents had always believed that he would become a Death Eater but had never bothered to ask if he wanted to be a Death Eater. His opinion on his future never mattered.

"You were groomed to be a Death Eater," Harry continued. "And I was groomed…" The green-eyed boy trailed off.

"To lead a war?" Draco finished. "Somehow I think I got the better deal."

Harry flinched at the raw words. He agreed with Draco. The blond had definitely got a better deal. He had managed to escape his fate. Harry had tried to but he had failed.

"What do you want to do once this is over?" he asked Draco to break the silence between them. The blond thought for a moment.

"It never really crossed my mind. I always assumed, even if I never admitted it, that I would die in this war."

Harry nodded in silent understanding.

"You?" Draco asked.

"I already know that I'm going to die in the final battle," Harry said bitterly. "I'm a horcrux, remember?"

"They're working on a way to get around that," Draco said with a frown but Harry just gave a bitter laugh.

"There's no way to get around it. You know that. I know that. Everyone knows it but no one is brave enough to say it."

Draco's frown deepened.

"So you're just going to accept death like that?" he asked. Harry shrugged.

"If I have to sacrifice myself and my future for others to live, I'll do it," he said. "I might not know the people I'm saving but I can't see a future after this war ends."

"Is that why you're withdrawing into yourself?" Draco asked. "To make it easier for others to let go and say goodbye?"

Harry froze. How was it that Draco could put words to his feelings? Was he really that easy to understand? He wished he wasn't such an open book.

"Maybe," the dark-haired wizard said with a shrug. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

Draco nodded in understanding. He felt the same way most days.

Harry and Draco sat in silence for a few minutes before footsteps on the stairs outside the room drew their attention. Doors opened and Harry reluctantly got to his feet to open the door and see what was going on. Draco remained in his seat.

Upon spotting Harry, Kingsley Shacklebolt approached the boy, who watched the movement around Grimmauld Place curiously.

"We've decided that we're going to Hogwarts," he informed the younger wizard in his deep voice. Harry's shoulders tensed but he nodded.

This was it. After waiting for weeks, it was time for the final battle.


	23. Chapter 23

Harry stared at his old school with dull eyes. Hogwarts no longer seemed as wondrous and magical as it had when he had been eleven. Was it because he knew that this place of sanctuary was about to become a battleground, a place of death? Or was it because he had found someplace else to replace Hogwarts.

"Ready?" Harry heard someone ask. He turned to face Kingsley Shacklebolt. They were just inside the tree line of the Forbidden Forest. Half of the group had been sent up to the castle to protect the students but the majority of the battle would take place on the lawns of the school. In the distance, Harry could see the suits of armor and the statues that resided within the castle lining up for battle. The anti-apparation wards had been taken down for the night around the castle. It was only inside the castles where the wards still functioned.

"Is anyone ever ready?" he asked, rubbing a hand across his face. He was so tired but he knew that would soon change. Once the battle began, adrenaline would rush through his veins and any exhaustion would soon be erased.

"Doubtful, unless you've been trained to do this since birth," Kingsley remarked. Harry flinched slightly. He knew people like that. However, he turned and walked away before the older man could comment on his reaction.

Of the group preparing to enter Hogwarts and fight off the Death Eaters, only Draco was alone. Harry made his way over to the blond.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco asked, glancing at the castle. Harry thought back to their second year when Draco had taunted him with those exact words.

"You wish," he replied in a dry voice. Draco smirked at his answer and Harry sighed.

"We're outnumbered," he pointed out.

"One side is nearly always outnumbered," Draco responded. "Numbers don't scare me."

"What does then?" Harry asked.

"Dying," Draco replied promptly. "It's something that terrifies most people."

"What will you be doing in the battle?" Harry asked. Kingsley had given them all specific assignments.

"Staying out of the way as much as possible," Draco sighed. "They still don't completely trust me."

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

"Don't be. At times, even I am not sure that I trust myself," Draco replied. "I suppose you're going after You-Know-Who?"

Harry nodded.

"But only after we're sure that Nagini has been killed," he added. "Until then I need to stay out of the way as well. I don't know how they're going to kill the snake, though."

"I'm sure something will be figured out. When is the battle going to start?"

Harry looked around.

"Any minute," he said and took a deep breath. He wasn't ready but he knew that wouldn't matter. Voldemort would come whether Harry was ready or not.

A large snake erupted in the sky. Harry drew out his wand, along with the other members of the Order of the Phoenix that were standing with him. When the first wave of Death Eaters apparated onto the school grounds, they were prepared and began firing off spells.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted as one Death Eater came too close. He had to refrain from using what others called his trademark spell. He didn't want to give his hand away too soon. He knew that Voldemort would expect him to be in the castle, with his friends. Ron had chosen to defend Hogwarts from inside the castle along with Ginny and Hermione.

It didn't take long for the Death Eaters to realize that they were fighting a battle on two sides. When they did, Harry was forced to duck and dodge spells aimed for him.

Harry was grateful that they were fighting in the darkness of the night. It made it more difficult for the Death Eaters to realize that they were fighting Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived.

In the distance, Harry could hear howling. He cringed, hoping it wasn't werewolves. They had made sure that the night of the battle wouldn't be on a full moon but he didn't know the full extent of what werewolves were capable of.

As Harry fought in the darkness of the night, words rang in his mind.

" _One of the first things they teach us at the Academy and in the field is to use everything we have at our disposal. When you're in battle, fight to win. Don't let morals hold you back."_

The words were out of Harry's mouth before he fully understood what he was doing.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The approaching Death Eater fell to the ground. Harry moved on to the next Death Eater, mouth set in a grim line. He was unaware of the looks his fellow Order members gave him upon seeing the bright green light shoot out of his wand.

Dogs rushed among the wizards, targeting the white-masked Death Eaters. Growls and snarls rang through the air. Green eyes narrowed. Some of those dogs looked familiar.

A form flickered in front of the teenager. Harry nearly fired off a spell before recognizing the masked figure.

Harry stared at the man in disbelief before he had to dodge yet another spell. The spell just barely missed the other man.

"Kakashi?" Harry gasped out.

Kakashi looked just as surprised to see Harry.

"What are you doing here?" the shinobi demanded, dodging a spell. "Why are you fighting?"

"What are  _you_  doing here?" Harry asked in return, firing off a quick Stupefy. "This is where I live."

"The shinobi of Konoha were contacted," Kakashi said, pulling Harry behind a tree. The green-eyed teen yelped as the shinobi began to climb, still holding on to Harry. "One of our shinobi requested back-up. Now why are you here? You're a civilian. You shouldn't be fighting."

"I'm a civilian in Konoha," Harry replied. "Here I was raised to be a warrior."

Kakashi didn't look happy at hearing that announcement.

"Who contacted you?" Harry asked. "Was it Yūgao?"

Kakashi didn't reply. Instead, he evaluated the scene.

"How do you plan to win this battle?" he asked. "You're severely outnumbered."

Kakashi's single eye widened as a giant thudded into view. Harry cringed. He had hoped the giants wouldn't come.

"We need to kill their leader," Harry said.

"To defeat the serpent, cut off the head," Kakashi murmured.

"Exactly," Harry said, a dry smile crossing his face. "An actual serpent, by the way."

"Oh?" Kakashi asked, not seeming surprised. Harry supposed the man had probably dealt with stranger villains.

"The man we have to defeat has part of his soul contained in a large venomous snake," Harry informed his lover. "To kill him, we must first kill the snake."

"I'll let the others know," Kakashi said and prepared to leave. Harry rested a hand on Kakashi's wrist to keep the man back for one more second.

"Kakashi," he said worriedly. "This snake…it can't be killed normally. Only through magical means."

The shinobi gazed into Harry's green eyes.

"We'll improvise," he replied. Then he was gone.


	24. Chapter 24

Knowing Kakashi was out there, fighting to save Harry and his world, did nothing to calm the teenager's nerves. It was torture, knowing that his lover could be killed at any given moment. Was this how Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were feeling? Remus and Tonks? Harry knew that Kakashi had been in battle before, but the shinobi had never faced off against wizards and magic.

The whole situation made Harry that more determined to finish the battle quickly. The quicker this was finished, the less of a chance there was for more people to die. He threw spell after spell at his opponents, curse after curse, not caring if they were Unforgiveable curses or not. He just wanted this battle to be over with.

Harry knew he needed to find Voldemort. He knew that he was going to die before the night ended. It would just be a matter of when.

White-hot pain seared through his scar. Harry felt himself drop to the ground as he screeched in pain, clutching his burning scar. After a minute, the pain subsided and Harry could hear an announcement being made by Voldemort himself.

The Death Eaters would retreat for an hour. Harry was to give himself up. He was to head inside the Forbidden Forest to be killed by Voldemort. If he did, there would be no more deaths.

Harry didn't believe the last promise. He knew that after his death, others would keep on fighting. Voldemort wouldn't stop killing until every single wizard or witch or shinobi or creature that had defended Harry Potter was dead. And even then, Voldemort wouldn't be satisfied.

Shinobi were looking around in confusion. Harry doubted that they had ever encountered something like this. From what he had heard, shinobi fought until the battle was over. There were no "breaks" in the battle.

Harry turned to look behind him. The Forbidden Forest called to him. He didn't want to do this so soon, especially since Nagini hadn't been killed yet, but there was no point in stalling. He had already had enough time to accept his death.

As Harry started to wander into the Forbidden Forest, he became aware of someone coming after him. He stopped and eyed the dog. He recognized this dog as Pakkun, having met him once.

"Pakkun-san," he greeted. "Why are you here?"

"Akago-san," the ninken said. "Or is it something different?"

"I am the Harry Potter that the enemy wants," Harry informed the dog. "This world knows me as Harry Potter."

"And you're just going to give yourself up? Without a fight?"

"There's no other way!" Harry shouted, finally letting his frustrations about the entire situation bubble to the surface. "I've tried to think of ways out of this situation for weeks. I've got to die, otherwise this war will never end. I'm dying for the greater good! For a future!"

Pakkun stared at Harry for a long moment before giving a curt nod. The ninken could sense that he wouldn't be able to talk Harry out of doing this.

"Then you shouldn't be alone. A shinobi should never die alone. They should die with a comrade to take them back home to their family and friends."

"I'm not a shinobi," Harry pointed out.

"But you're as brave as one," Pakkun replied before dashing out of sight. Harry stared in the direction the ninken went, mulling over those words.

Pakkun returned a few minutes later, with Kakashi following behind him. Upon seeing the gray-haired shinobi, tears started to prick at Harry's green eyes. Of course Pakkun would bring Kakashi to him, the one person Harry wanted to see most before he died.

"Pakkun filled me in," Kakashi said bluntly.

"I don't want to do this," Harry murmured. "But there's no other way. You understand, don't you?"

"Not completely, but for the most part," Kakashi said. "I should be restraining you, ordering you not to do this."

"This isn't your battle," Harry pointed out. "You can't order me to do anything."

From behind Kakashi's mask, Harry could see the tiniest flicker of a smile. He wondered what it meant. The teenager began to walk further into the Forest. Kakashi followed.

"Is there a chance that you'll survive this encounter?" Kakashi asked, wrapping his larger hand around Harry's. Harry tried not to flinch at the sound of hope in the shinobi's voice.

"Probably not. I've survived too many other times," he replied dully. "There were so many other times I could have died and didn't. I suppose my luck has run out now."

"Or maybe there's enough luck left for one last encounter," Kakashi murmured.

"Maybe," Harry agreed. "But I doubt it. This time I won't be fighting to stay alive. This time I'm just sacrificing myself in the hopes of a better future for my people."

Harry knew that Kakashi would understand what he was trying to accomplish with his sacrifice. From what he had heard in Konoha, Kakashi had been prepared to do the same in many battles. He had even been a similar age in his first few battles.

"Ino will be upset," Kakashi said.

"Thank her for me when you get back, will you?" Harry asked. "For making me feel welcome at first."

"I'll make sure that someone will," Kakashi said. "However, I won't return until I know that this enemy of yours is no longer a threat. As long as he is a threat here, he is a potential threat to Konoha."

"There are people up ahead," Pakkun announced. Harry nearly tripped over his feet in surprise. He hadn't noticed Pakkun following them.

Harry looked at Kakashi.

"I suppose this is goodbye," he said quietly. Kakashi gave a tiny nod, unsure if he would be able to speak in a clear voice. Harry tried not to focus on the pain and torment revealing itself in Kakashi's single eye.

Harry never saw Kakashi move. One second the man was a few feet away and the next, lips were pressed on Harry's in a firm, hard kiss.

"If there's any way at all, come back," Kakashi whispered against his lips. Harry nodded and caressed Kakashi's face carefully.

"Don't leave me," he said as he pulled away. "Bring my body back if you can."

Harry tried not to think about how similar his words were to Cedric's. He knew that it was cruel to force Kakashi to watch him die but he felt better, knowing that he wouldn't be alone as he died. He would have a familiar face near him.

Harry walked toward the gathering of people he could just barely here. Kakashi remained where he was.

"I'm here," Harry announced as he walked into the clearing where Voldemort was waiting. "I've come."

Voldemort grinned. His thin lips and pale skin made the expression look painful. Harry stared dully back at his foe.

There were no pleasantries exchanged. No grand announcements. Voldemort merely raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"


	25. Chapter 25

Kakashi had to press his fist against his mouth to muffle any sound that would come out of it. He watched Akago—Harry?—drop to the ground, lifeless. It wasn't the first time he had seen someone killed in front of him but he knew that this death would haunt him for many nights to come.

The man who had killed his lover dropped to the ground as well, drawing the attention of the others in the clearing. Kakashi moved quickly once he spotted that all focus on Harry was gone. The others were too concerned about the wellbeing of their leader. As stealthily as he could, he approached Harry and picked up the limp form. Then he was gone.

He had cut it close, Kakashi realized as he briefly stopped out of view of everyone in the clearing. Already he could hear the outraged cries as the spectators discovered their victim was missing. Within seconds they would be scouring the nearby area, looking for any sign of the body. Kakashi adjusted the body in his arms and continued to move away. He didn't stop again until he was miles away, still deep inside the forest.

Unable to help himself, the shinobi checked Harry's pulse. He still had hope. However, he could feel nothing. There was no pulse. The absence of it forced Kakashi to believe what he already knew.

Hiro Akago, known in this world as Harry Potter, was dead.

Kakashi's attention was diverted as a twig branch snapped. The gray-haired shinobi withdrew a kunai, prepared to fight. When a tall figure came into view, Kakashi visibly relaxed. He nodded a curt greeting at Neji, who examined the scene with an impassive face.

"We drew back when they briefly called the truce," Neji stated. "You didn't show up. The others started getting worried."

"I had other things to do," Kakashi replied in an even voice. The evenness startled him. He had forgotten how accustomed he had grown to hiding his pain since he had first become a shinobi. Now he did it without even thinking.

"Sakura wants you to report so she can examine you for injuries," Neji informed the older shinobi. It was only through his past dealings with the Hyuuga clan that Kakashi noticed that Neji was refusing to look at the body in his arms.

"I don't have any," Kakashi replied.

"Sakura wants to examine you," Neji repeated. Kakashi's jaw tightened. He wasn't used to receiving orders from shinobi less experienced than he. He also knew that he was reacting hostilely to something minor but that was to be expected. He had suffered a loss.

Kakashi knew he had to calm down. He didn't want to prove Tsunade right. She had been hesitant to let him come, knowing how close he was to the situation, but he had insisted that he wouldn't let his emotions get the better of him. He had to follow through on that promise.

"Have we lost any?" he asked as the pair of shinobi began to move on. Finally Neji glanced at Harry before averting his eyes.

"Only two," the Hyuuga said. "We've been fortunate. We move too fast for their methods to be effective."

Kakashi refused to ask if Harry was one of those two. Instead, he adjusted the body in his arms and pressed forward. Since they had started moving again, Kakashi had refused to look down at the form in his arms. He couldn't bear to see those lifeless green eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The masked shinobi lifted his head and blinked dully at Sakura, who was quickly approaching the pair. He had been closer to the shinobi base than he had been aware. No wonder Neji had been able to locate him.

Sakura slowed when she spotted the lifeless body in Kakashi's arms.

"Is that Akago-san?" she asked, trying to hide the horror she felt. Kakashi gave a tiny nod. Sakura's green eyes widened and she gestured for Kakashi to set the body on the forest floor. The older shinobi obliged, even though he knew Sakura's efforts would be futile. The kunoichi began to immediately check for a pulse or any other signs of life.

"He's dead," Kakashi murmured. "He was hit by that killing blow of theirs—the green one." Sakura sent her old sensei a look full of disbelief.

"No, he's not," Neji interjected. Sakura and Kakashi stared at the Hyuuga. Neji tapped Harry's forehead, right under the scar.

"The Byakugan is registering that their type of chakra is still flowing steadily, not trickling away like it would if he was dead. It's also registering signs of brain activity," he explained. "Until both stop, the Hyuuga would consider him to still be alive."

Sakura's green eyes widened and she tried to find a pulse again. For a few seconds she felt nothing but then she felt a weak, tiny beat. The medic waited for another minute, not moving her fingers. She felt the beat again.

"A pulse," she sighed in relief.

Kakashi sat back on his heels, stunned. He was alive? The shinobi could feel some of his hope returning. Sakura stepped aside and let Kakashi check as well. The hope continued to return as Kakashi felt the same beats that Sakura had.

As Harry came to, he made sure to keep his eyes closed. He wasn't sure what he was about to encounter but if he was still in Voldemort's clutches, he didn't want his enemy to know that he was still alive.

"The pulse is nearly normal," a woman's voice announced above him. The voice was faintly recognizable to Harry. "Hopefully he should wake up soon. Neji-san, could you bring me some water?"

San. The suffix let Harry know he was among friends. Kakashi had followed through Harry's request to bring his body back.

Green eyes snapped open and immediately Harry was greeted with the sight of Kakashi's masked face. Harry offered the shinobi a weak smile.

"I got lucky," he said in a hoarse voice. Kakashi didn't know what to say, so he just ruffled the younger man's hair and helped him to sit up. Neji was quickly returning with water while Sakura sat off to the side. It was a welcome sight.


	26. Chapter 26

Kakashi refused to let Harry out of his sight, even though Sakura had declared the wizard healthy, despite a few cuts and scratches. Normally the wizard would have found it adorable but now he just found it annoying.

"Kakashi, I have to get back to the school!" Harry protested loudly, not caring that he was making a scene. He wasn't just about to walk away from the battle.

"You've done your part," Kakashi stated. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"No, I haven't. Voldemort is still alive and his snake isn't dead yet," the wizard growled.

"Snake?" Sakura asked. Harry nodded. The pink-haired kunoichi pointed at something laying off to the side.

"You don't mean that snake, do you?"

Harry gaped. Nagini was practically in pieces. She looked like she had been struck with something powerful.

"That's the one," Harry muttered. "What happened to it?"

Sakura frowned.

"Naruto got it with a Rasengan, thinking it belonged to Orochimaru. He can be a little...hot-headed when it comes to snakes."

Harry attempted to get to his feet but was pushed down by Kakashi once again.

"Thank him for me, would you?" he asked absentmindedly before glaring at his lover again. "Let me up! I still have someone to kill!"

"Don't talk about it like that," Kakashi said in a sharp voice. Harry's widened minutely. It was rare that Kakashi took a sharp tone. Still, that didn't stop him from protesting.

"I have to finish what I started!"

"Let someone else take care of it," Kakashi replied. Harry growled under his breath.

"I can't just do that," he snapped. " _I_ have to do this. No one else can do this."

"Why?"

Harry hesitated. How could he explain the prophecy? He doubted that shinobi were devout believers in fate and destiny.

"I just have to. It's my goal," he said firmly. "Now let me up!"

"Kakashi-sensei, he  _is_  perfectly fine," Sakura interrupted, trying to ignore how much Harry sounded like Naruto at the present moment. "So there's no reason that he shouldn't return to the battle scene."

"He's a civilian," Kakashi pointed out. Harry huffed in irritation.

"In Konoha," he muttered. "Not here."

A few of the shinobi near enough to hear their conversation groaned. Those words were similar to the ones that had started Harry and Kakashi's argument in the first place. Thankfully a repeat of the argument was prevented as the kunoichi in charge gave the order to move out. The purple-haired kunoichi turned to Kakashi.

"Bring the kid," she ordered the gray-haired shinobi. "Suck it up and let him fight. He knows how to and right now their side is outnumbered. We use any help we're given."

Kakashi didn't look happy by the order but he relented.

Harry eyed the kunoichi. She wasn't Yūgao but how many purple haired kunoichi were there?

"Who's she?" he asked Kakashi as he was finally able to get to his feet. "I've never seen her."

"She works in T and I," his lover said quietly. "Don't annoy her, whatever you do. She's a bit…odd"

"Do I want to know what T and I is?" Harry asked, deciding not to comment on his lover's own quirks. Kakashi thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"No," he said.

"Where's...cat-san?" Harry asked, thinking of his guardian, the one who had protected him for all these years.

Kakashi gave a shrug and began to lead Harry. The group of shinobi had begun moving. Most went on ahead but a few, including Sakura, Naruto, and Neji stayed with Harry and Kakashi, adjusting to the slower pace.

"Back in Konoha," he said. "She alerted us to the situation after being treated at the hospital. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the information needed from her since she was in bad condition. She gave us a few locations as soon as she was able to, however."

Harry tried not to cringe. She must have suffered worse than what he and Draco had imagined. Still, she wasn't dead. It was one less person he would have to grieve for once this was all over.

"We've been here a few days," Sakura said from behind the two. "The traveling to get here…it's different from what we're used to. Some of us needed to rest for a few days before we could go any further."

Harry blinked but then nodded. Even though he had used the thestral to get back, the journey to Konoha had been difficult. It was a unique way of traveling and he could imagine that only the strongest shinobi and wand-users would be able to do it multiple times.

Reaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest, it appeared to the shinobi that Voldemort had given up on his search for Harry's body. Instead, he and his followers had decided to attack Hogwarts.

Harry's lips tightened into a frown at the sight. Instinctively, he reached for his wand only to notice it missing. Green eyes widened and he checked his other pocket. Nothing there. His wand was missing.

When had that happened?

In the clearing, after Voldemort had supposedly killed him? Or after Kakashi had rescued him?

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, noticing Harry's silent distress.

"Nothing," Harry muttered. "I just…lost something."

Kakashi gave Harry an odd look, one that silently asked what Harry could have possibly lost. A small blush crept up on the wizard's face.

"My weapon," Harry muttered. "My wand."

The wizard really wanted to wipe the smirk off of Kakashi's face.

"Those sticks?" Sakura asked for clarification, ignoring Kakashi's smirk and Harry's glare. Harry gave a jerky nod and Kakashi's smirk started to fade.

"I thought it was on you when I rescued you. I didn't see it fall," the older man said.

"It's okay," Harry muttered. He didn't want to blame Kakashi when the man probably had no idea what a wand was. Besides, he could always attempt to do wandless magic until he got to the castle. Then he could find one of his friends and borrow their wand to defeat Voldemort. It wasn't ideal but it could work.


	27. Chapter 27

The hour was up and the Death Eaters had returned to Hogwarts. Draco watched the black mob approach the castle with an impassive look on his face. Harry Potter was nowhere to be found.

A small frown crossed the blonde's face. He should have known the dark-haired boy would have gone to meet Voldemort. Despite the extra fighters in their ranks, the Gryffindor was still too self-sacrificing to do anything else.

Yet, Draco wasn't quite sure that Harry was dead. Voldemort stood at the front of the mob, looking far too unhappy to be a man that had just vanquished his long-time enemy. But if Harry Potter wasn't dead, why had Voldemort returned? What was the Dark Lord planning?

It didn't take long for the youngest Malfoy to find out. When all of the Death Eaters had returned, Voldemort held out something. His voice projected across the entire castle.

"Harry Potter is dead," the voice echoed through the corridors. "I bring you his wand as proof."

Draco merely blinked as the rest of the school reacted in horror upon hearing the news. He knew that many witches and wizards believed that the wand was enough proof. After all, the only time a sane witch or wizard would be separated from their wand was if they were dead.

Draco was not one of those that believed the proof that the wand presented. He would only believe Harry Potter was truly dead if he saw the body. Even then, he would be hesitant to believe that the boy was dead. Harry had survived death too many other times.

As the Order of the Phoenix and their supporters reacted, gray eyes narrowed. Harry's wand couldn't remain in Voldemort's grasp. If the wizard wasn't dead, like Draco suspected, then he would be needing it. Besides, the blond-haired wizard wouldn't be surprised if Voldemort snapped the wand in the next few minutes. He couldn't let that happen.

The Slytherin's wand was in his hand before he had even finished making a plan. He stepped off to the side, shielding his body with a pillar. His actions shielded him from view from both the Death Eaters and the other students.

"Accio Harry Potter's wand," he murmured under his breath, flicking his wand. He hoped this worked. He had never tried summoning a wand before and he wasn't sure how tight Voldemort's grip on the wand was. He could only hope that the Dark Lord's grip was loose enough that the wand would come to him.

Luck was on Draco's side for once. Voldemort hadn't been expecting someone to summon the wand and it came easily to Draco's waiting hand. The blonde-haired wizard let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. He fingered the wand gently and ducked away as both sides reacted to the wand being stolen in plain sight.

Now Potter just had to show up. Draco hoped that the wizard would show up soon, otherwise he might just kill The-Boy-Who-Lived himself.

The squad of shinobi reached the battlefield just as the battle began again. Clearly something had enraged Voldemort but Harry wasn't quite sure what. For all he knew, someone could have blinked wrong.

"What are you going to do?" Kakashi asked in an emotionless voice. Harry barely twitched at the tone. He knew Kakashi was preparing himself for battle. He wouldn't take anything the shinobi might do personally.

"I have to get to the castle and figure out what's going on," Harry decided, looking at the scene. "Then I should find Voldemort and finish this."

Kakashi stared across the large lawn at the castle. The path was blocked by numerous battles.

"Good luck with that," Sakura muttered for the older shinobi. Harry held back a sigh. He had been thinking something along those lines as well.

"Well, no time to waste," he muttered.

"We'll clear a path," Kakashi decided, glancing at the shinobi gathered around him. "Try to stay out of the way as much as possible."

Harry wasn't completely sure that the plan would work. He knew that he would be a prime target for any Death Eater that crossed his path.

The group began to move. The wizard tried to stay in the center of the shinobi as much as possible. At times he fell behind because they were moving too fast.

As expected, any Death Eater that caught sight of Harry attacked. Most were quickly taken down by his guards of shinobi. Before one could get through, Harry picked up a discarded wand. He had a feeling that its previous owner was one of the bodies lying nearby. However, Harry couldn't let that bother him. He needed some sort of protection and having a wand was the best way to protect himself from other witches and wizards.

The wand quivered in his hand. It wasn't meant for Harry and it didn't like being in his possession. The wizard didn't care. Once it was no longer needed, he would get rid of it.

Harry had never been so glad to be within Hogwarts' walls once the group reached the castle. In the castle, the walls and corridors offered some form of protection. He was no longer out in the open like he had been on the Hogwarts' lawn. He was so relieved that he didn't notice the looks of disbelief and shock that he was receiving.

"Mr. Potter!"

Harry turned at the sound of a sharp voice that he could easily recognize as Professor McGonagall's. Harry's shinobi guard broke apart, each going to find their own battles. Only Kakashi remained behind.

"Professor," he greeted the woman.

"We were told that you were dead," Minerva McGonagall informed him. "Voldemort had your wand as proof."

Well, that answered one question. Now Harry knew who had his wand.

"I thought you would have known to never believe Voldemort," Harry said in a wry tone. "After all, he's failed to kill me before. Why should now be any different?"

Kakashi, who was watching the two magic users carefully, decided not to bring up the fact that Harry hadn't been so confident earlier. Then a question came to mind.

" _Had_  his wand? As in the past?"

Harry and Kakashi looked at Professor McGonagall expectantly. She nodded.

"Someone decided to be very brave and summoned your wand out of Voldemort's grasp," she informed the pair. "Sadly, no one saw who it was so I can't give you a name."

"No need for a name," a voice drawled. Draco Malfoy approached them, twirling Harry's wand in his hands. Harry grinned.

"I didn't realize you had a Gryffindor side, Draco," he said, holding his hand out for his beloved possession. The blond wizard shrugged as he passed the wand over.

"Neither did I."

Harry examined his wand. Thankfully it was undamaged. He stuck the other wand he had acquired in his pocket.

"Where's Voldemort?" he asked. "This should end sooner than later."

"We don't know," Professor McGonagall said. "He disappeared when the Death Eaters attacked."

Harry frowned. That made his job more difficult but not impossible. He would just have to bring Voldemort out into the open. He glanced at Kakashi and met the shinobi's eyes. Knowing what he was thinking, the older man gave a tiny nod. A lot went unspoken between the two but Harry knew what the shinobi wanted to say but wouldn't in front of others.

Yes, the idea was stupid and bold but it would work. He shouldn't use too much power trying to draw Voldemort out. Kakashi would be there to back him up. Most importantly, if Harry got himself killed, Kakashi would never forgive him.

"Let's go," Harry said quietly and began to walk away. Kakashi trailed after him.

"Mr. Potter, where are you going?" Professor McGonagall demanded.

Harry didn't glance back as he voiced his reply.

"To find Voldemort."

As much as he hated to leave the comfort of the castle walls behind, Harry knew that Hogwarts was no place for a battle. It was better to be on the lawn for the final confrontation.

"Reducto!" Harry muttered, blasting a path through a group of Death Eaters. The power he had put behind the spell created a small crater in the ground. Harry repeated the action a few more times, making sure to draw as much attention to him as possible. The more commotion he caused, the easier it would be for Voldemort to find him.

It didn't take long. Before long, Voldemort appeared before him. The two stared each other down for a minute before Voldemort drew out his wand.

"Let's do this here and now," Harry muttered under his breath. "Out in public for everyone to see." He doubted that Voldemort could hear him but the madman snarled as if he had.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort cried. Harry whispered the same spell.

Those that had halted their own duels to watch the biggest battle of all stared at the Boy-Who-Lived in surprise as a bright green light shot out from his wand. They hadn't been expecting an Unforgivable, especially those that knew that Potter preferred other spells.

The two beams of green light met. Now it was just a question of who was more powerful.

Behind Harry, Kakashi shifted and wrapped his hand around a set of kunai. He knew that his lover wanted to do this by himself but if there was any sign that Harry was losing, Kakashi had no qualms about killing Voldemort for him.

The green-eyed wizard gritted his teeth as his arm began to ache. There was so much power behind the two spells, more than he expected. He had no idea who would win.

For a fraction of a second, Harry's eyes shifted so that he could look at Kakashi. The shinobi was watching the duel of strength with a flicker of apprehension in his eyes.

Harry turned his eyes back on Voldemort and his jaw tightened. He had to win. No matter what. For the students of Hogwarts, for the shinobi of Konoha, for a future with Kakashi…he had to win.

His increased determination reflected in the power behind his spell. Voldemort's eyes widened as his own curse was reflected back at him. There was a flash of green light, almost like a bolt of lightning, and then the spells faded away.

Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, fell to the ground, lifeless. Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, remained standing.

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief and released his grip on the kunai. It was over.

Seeing their leader lying on the ground, the Death Eaters began to flee. Harry decided to let the others deal with Voldemort's supporters. He had done his part. Instead, the green-eyed wizard took a shaky step towards his lover. Within a blink of an eye, Kakashi was beside him. Harry collapsed on the shinobi, his reserves having been exhausted.

"Sleep," Kakashi murmured. "I'll take you back to the castle. Sakura will find us and tend to you."

Harry nodded. He could deal with that. Of course, Madam Pomfrey might find them first. Harry almost wished he could remain awake to see who would win the battle to treat him—the mediwitch or the medic kunoichi.


	28. Chapter 28

The next time Harry opened his eyes, he was inside the Great Hall, which had been turned into a makeshift infirmary. He was off to the side, surrounded by injured shinobi. Kakashi was sitting next to him, reading the book he always kept in his kunai pouch.

"You're awake," the shinobi commented, eye not leaving the page he was reading.

"And you're not really reading that," Harry said. "Now that we're done stating the obvious…"

The small smirk that appeared on Kakashi's lips was hidden behind his mask.

"How long has it been?" Harry asked.

"A few hours," Kakashi replied. "Long enough for your cuts, bruises, and scars to heal."

"By whom?" Harry asked, curious as to who had tended him. Kakashi jerked his head in Sakura's direction. The kunoichi was scolding Naruto, probably for doing something stupid.

"She had less to tend to," Kakashi explained. "And she moves faster than the others."

Harry nodded in understanding. Then something Kakashi had said made him curious.

"Scars?" Harry asked. Kakashi nodded but offered no more information. Instead, he passed over a small hand mirror.

"It's Sakura's," Kakashi explained. "She figured that you would want to see for yourself."

Harry's eyes narrowed in confusion but he held up the mirror and looked at his face.

Someone had wiped down his face, so it was free of dirt. His glasses still were too round for his face but they were undamaged. His hair was caked with dirt and his bangs were clinging to his forehead, only parted enough to reveal his pale, almost unnoticeable scar.

Oh. So that's what Kakashi meant by scars having healed. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead was no longer irritated and red, as it had been since he had been a child. Instead, it had paled. Now that it was only a few shades lighter than his skin.

"I finally got what I wished for," Harry muttered, remembering all the times he had wished that his scar wasn't so noticeable. "What else has happened?"

Kakashi put away his book.

"Not too much," he said. "An interim Minister has been chosen. Someone named Shacklebolt." The shinobi stuttered over the name. Harry had to fight to keep the grin off his face. "Already he's approached us in regards to a diplomatic mission. That's the only real thing of significance that's happened. They've started tallying up the bodies."

Harry cringed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to read the names on the list. He didn't want to know which of his friends that he had lost. To direct his thoughts away from the body count, he focused on the other part of Kakashi's answer.

"Diplomatic mission?" he asked. The gray-haired shinobi nodded.

"To keep contact between our two worlds," he murmured. "We've interacted too much recently for there not to be diplomacy. It'll be worked out in the next few weeks most likely."

Harry nodded, mind racing. He was already making plans for the future, even though he knew that it wouldn't be what others expected.

"It'll be a shock for our worlds to get used to another's presence," he said quietly. "Especially because they're so different."

Kakashi was silent for a moment before speaking.

"You know, our two worlds aren't that different," the shinobi said slowly.

"Oh?" Harry asked. Kakashi nodded.

"Both worlds have raised children destined to be soldiers."

Harry frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, if that's the case, then I can spot one major difference."

"Oh?" Kakashi echoed.

"Your children know they're being raised to be soldiers," Harry explained. "Ours were oblivious to that fact."

Kakashi didn't reply.

The weeks after the final battle passed in a blur for Harry, even though he didn't really have anything to do. For the most part, he stuck close to Kakashi as negotiations started between Konoha and the wizarding world. It would be a long-term diplomatic mission for Konoha. Two shinobi of jounin level would be stationed in the wizarding world and a few would take short-term missions to assist their comrades and to travel back and forth between the two worlds. After a lengthy discussion, Kakashi volunteered to be one of the shinobi that would travel back and forth.

Harry hadn't voiced anything yet to the Minister of Magic or any of his friends, but he would be sticking with Kakashi most likely. They could split their time between the two worlds. Harry wasn't quite sure what he would do but he knew what he  _didn't_  want to do. He didn't want to become an Auror. He was sick of fighting.

The wizarding world would also send a wizard or witch to Konoha to maintain diplomacy. Already they were narrowing down the field of candidates. Harry had used his influence as the Boy-Who-Lived and the Man-Who-Defeated-Voldemort to name a candidate—Draco Malfoy.

His reasons for supporting Draco as a candidate were obvious but he had still managed to surprise the blond wizard. Harry knew that the blond would face discrimination in the wizarding world because of his father's past actions. Living in Konoha would take him away from that discrimination and would allow the blond a chance to live a new life, much like Harry had. Draco had also been exposed to some of Konoha's culture through Yūgao. Of all the candidates, he would have the best chance of understanding both worlds.

A week after the final battle, a list of the deceased for both sides had been published in the Daily Prophet. It was shorter than Harry had expected, but that wasn't a bad thing. Excluded from the list were the four shinobi that had fallen. Instead, their names would be inscribed on the Memorial Stone in Konoha.

A similar Memorial Stone was placed in the small area between the Black Lake and the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry had brought up the idea to Professor McGonagall, Hogwarts' new headmistress, and she had agreed. The names of the students and Order members that had died fighting would be written upon the stone. The stone had been pulled from the rubble of Hogwarts castle when they had been unable to find where it belonged.

Harry stood in front of the stone, memorizing the names that had been engraved into it, especially the four that had been engraved at the top. The four at the top hadn't died in the final battle but their sacrifices were what had led to Harry finishing off Voldemort for good.

"Thank you for your sacrifices," he said quietly. "I know your families will miss you.  _I'll_  miss you. I'll do my best to make sure that you aren't forgotten."

As Harry stepped away from the Memorial Stone, he read the top four names one last time.

_Albus Dumbledore. Sirius Black. James Potter. Lily Potter._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue left. For anyone that's interested, I've created a Facebook page, where I'll be posting not only my updates, but also questions, polls, statuses about my writing, update schedules, milestones, new story ideas, and basically anything writing related I feel like posting. I would love to interact with my readers so feel free to post on the page. Search Cheyla in the Facebook search bar and you should be able to find it. The page's profile picture is a black and white baby dragon so you know you've found the right page.


	29. Chapter 29

_One Year Later_

Harry flipped the sign in his shop from  _Closed_  to  _Open_. He and Kakashi had just returned to the wizarding world after a two-month's stay in Konoha. While in Konoha, Harry had made sure things were running smoothly at his other store while his lover—now fiancée—had dealt with piles of paperwork.

Harry had only laughed once or twice at Kakashi's misfortune but he hadn't fared any better. He had to deal with Ino and her mother, after all.

In Konoha, Harry had opened a shop for his perfumes. He also had moved on to selling soaps and candles due to constant requests. Since he knew he wouldn't be in Konoha all year, he had hired helpers to make his products and run his shop. Among them had been Ino, when she was off duty, and her mother.

Once they had found out that Harry and Kakashi were engaged, Harry regretted hiring the two women. They were constantly badgering him for details and Harry couldn't escape from them. After all, they knew where he lived.

Draco didn't help. He had thrived in Konoha, relishing the power that came with being a diplomat and being away from the reputation his family had built up. He always made time for Harry when the green-eyed wizard was in town but Draco had also been known to tell Ino where Harry was when Harry had tried to hide from the kunoichi.

Harry had opened up a similar shop in the wizarding world, to everyone's surprise. They had never considered that he would be content with being a shopkeeper when he could have had countless  _important_  positions in the Ministry or as an Auror. When Harry went back to Konoha with Kakashi, Neville and Luna helped run the shop. They had accepted his choices, even when others hadn't.

Still, his shop had become very popular within weeks. Harry suspected that most of the shop's popularity was due to his status as the Boy-Who-Lived. However, he had made it clear that he didn't give autographs or sit for pictures. He expected customers in his shop, not fans.

The bell above the door chimed as someone entered his shop. Harry looked up from where he was researching future recipes. His eyes widened as they landed on a familiar dark-haired figure clad in black.

"What can I do for you, Professor?" he asked.

Severus Snape looked around the shop. It was small but comfortable.

"I couldn't believe the rumors," he drawled. "Who would have guessed that the famous Harry Potter would have chosen a path that so closely resembled potions. I didn't know you had a fondness for such things by your performance in my class."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"It's surprisingly relaxing," he admitted. "But I'm sure that my choice in profession isn't the only reason that brought you here."

Professor Snape smirked and gave a small shake of his head.

"Of course not," he responded. "I also wanted to ask how your guardian was doing. I haven't heard word since I gave her the final payment."

Her? Final payment?

Harry's eyes widened as he understood what the professor was trying to say. Professor Snape had been the one to hire Yūgao all those years ago.

It made sense, once Harry thought about it. The man was Draco's godfather and he had also gone to great lengths to protect Harry while at Hogwarts. Third year had been proof enough. Not many men would stand between their students and a dangerous werewolf, after all.

"She's fine. Still alive," Harry said. Severus Snape gave a curt nod and picked something off the shelves. He brought it to the counter, where Harry rang it up.

"Seven sickles," Harry said. The Potions Master handed over the right amount of money.

Before Professor Snape could walk out the door, Harry stopped him with a few last words.

"Thank you, Professor. I couldn't have done this without you."

Severus Snape glanced back at Harry Potter before giving a short nod and striding out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's that. I hope you enjoyed this story. Right now, I can say that there's no plans for a sequel and it'll probably stay that way. However, if you're interested in seeing what other things I'm working on, check out my facebook page. Either type Cheyla into the search bar and look for a page with a black and white baby dragon or try https://www.facebook.com/cheylaenne


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